The Hoosier faithful have not shied away from expressing their displeasure inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall this season. As recently as halftime against then-No. 13 Purdue on Sunday, many fans booed Indiana men’s basketball off the court. 

It happened against then-No. 24 Michigan, too. And Maryland. And Illinois. 

But versus Penn State, the boos weren’t directed at the Hoosiers. In response, Indiana delivered the win. 

Much of the Hoosier student section’s antics was aimed at Penn State’s Ace Baldwin Jr., who responded with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and six steals. But not even the graduate student guard’s top performance could stop Indiana’s late second-half push as the Hoosiers took the 83-78 w5in Wednesday night in Bloomington. 

Indiana fans backed their team from the opening tip, providing a loud presence even though the Hoosiers faced a deficit for most of the first half. In the waning moments of the frame, sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo secured an offensive rebound and laid it in, sparking a cheer from the crowd as the Cream and Crimson ran to the locker room down 39-37. 

The second half was no different. Even with a continuous deficit, the Hoosier faithful were loud, booing Baldwin Jr. on the defensive end and cheering for Indiana baskets on the other. 

When Myles Rice nailed a 3-pointer in the corner with just under three minutes to go, the crowd erupted. And when the redshirt sophomore guard secured a fastbreak layup 13 seconds later, pushing Indiana’s advantage to 7 points, the noise was deafening. 

Once the final buzzer sounded and the Hoosiers secured their third win in their last four tries, the fans let their appreciation be known with a loud ovation. With the memories of Michigan, Maryland and Illinois forgotten, a win was the best case-scenario for both players and fanbase alike. 

“You know, at this point in the season every game is important, but this one is special because we know we’re playing for something big,” Ballo said postgame. “And it was super fun to have our fans backing us up and keeping us in the game to the point that we took over. Anytime we get a home win, (it’s) super fun.” 

With only three games remaining in the regular season, the Hoosiers have strung together momentum at exactly the right time. 

Indiana moved to 17-11 overall and 8-9 in the Big Ten following the victory. But even more importantly, the Hoosiers firmly cemented their place in the NCAA Tournament conversations.