The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 149 is Indiana State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Indiana State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 1
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 1
- Sweet 16s: 1
- NCAA wins: 5
- Bids: 4
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 11.9
- Bids per season: 0.04
- AP Polls: 23
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 3
- NBA players drafted & played: 5
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 3
- Conference tournament titles: 3
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Indiana State basketball
I’m not sure if there is a single program in college basketball history more synonymous with one player. That would be Indiana State basketball and Larry Bird.
“Larry Legend” showed up in 1976-77 for the varsity team, averaging 32.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. The Sycamores went 25-3, falling by a point to Houston in the first round of the NIT. The following season, they’d go from being an Independent to a part of the Missouri Valley Conference, going 23-9 and 11-5 in the league. However, a two-point loss at Creighton in the MVC final sent them back to the NIT, where they’d fall to Rutgers in the second round. Bird once again starred, posting 30.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, and 3.9 APG for the season.
But in 1978-79, Indiana State basketball forever made history. Bird went for 28.6 PPG, 14.9 RPG, and 5.5 APG, and Carl Nicks served as the perfect second-fiddle. The Sycamores went undefeated into the NCAA Tournament, and knocked off Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and DePaul, losing to Michigan State and Magic Johnson in a highly-contested, historic National Championship. Despite the loss, Indiana State was voted first overall in the year’s Final AP Poll.
Of course, Bird alone puts Indiana State inside the top 200. He not only led them to a championship game, but was a 2x Consensus All-American, Player of the Year as a senior, and many more awards that would be too numerous to list. And while Indiana State certainly doesn’t have a whole lot of other history – especially any that comes close – there are some more notable things.
Lately, head coach Josh Schertz and star player Robbie Avila have sort of put the program back on the map. While Avila would transfer and Schertz would take a job at Saint Louis together, they had a special 32-7 season in 2023-24, losing in the NIT Championship.
Indiana State also made March Madness appearances in 2000, 2001, and 2011. The runs in the early 2000s came under coach Royce Waltman, who helped them knock off 4-seed Oklahoma in the ’01 big dance. But that is it in terms of tournament success, with the ’79 season leading the pack by far.
Indiana State also had an All-American in 1948, with Duane Klueh getting the nod in 1948. And who was the head coach? None other than John Wooden, who led them to a 27-7 record and left for UCLA the following season.
So, for a program with just four tournament appearances, yet it had Larry Bird and John Wooden, I’m not sure if it gets more interesting than that. That’s Indiana State for you, and I’m not sure if they’d want to have it any other way!