Indiana Basketball: 3 Reasons Why Moving the Student Section Is a Win

The Indiana athletics department announced a major change in the seating layout of Assembly Hall.

It involves putting a general admission student section behind the basket on the north end of the arena. This move is a win for IU hoops for several reasons.

Incentivizes Students to Attend Games

The student section at Indiana has always been a point of contention.

IU used to brag that it had the "biggest student section in the country", but recently, Hoosier students have been missing from Assembly Hall. There are many reasons for this, but a major one was that there was no incentive to show up.

IU students who purchased the 2026-27 Student Season Football and Men’s Basketball Combo package will receive an email with an option to upgrade to either a north or south bleacher ticket package. If upgrade requests exceed availability, the IU Student Ticket Points Program will be used to determine eligibility based on accumulated point totals.
IU Athletics Release

One of the biggest issues with students not showing up was due to having really bad seats. Not only is this an instant upgrade for the students, it does incentivize student season ticket holders to show up to games where they have worse seats to non-marquee games.

More Students in the Arena Early

IU students are the heartbeat of this campus, and they are a huge part of what makes gamedays special at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. This change recognizes and celebrates that by giving our students a huge percentage of the best seats at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Scott Dolson, IU Athletics Director

The general admission aspect of these seats is important and creates an urgency to get to Assembly Hall early. The student crowd has been filing in just before tip-off or even after recently and it harms IU's game-day atmosphere.

Instantly Upgrades Assembly Hall's Game Day Atmosphere

'Big Game' Assembly Hall is one of, if not the, best atmospheres in college basketball. It has dropped off recently as the Hoosiers have struggled to make the NCAA Tournament, but for a big game with the students in the building, it's electric.

Some time in the late 2000s or early 2010's, IU decided to remove the students from behind the basket on the north end of the arena. It took away one of the more intimidating factors of the place. Instead of hundreds of enthusiastic student fans, IU decided to put sleepy alumni fans in those seats.

We are excited to continue making Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall the toughest road environment in all of college basketball. We appreciate all the support we
have received from Hoosier Nation and look forward to seeing you all this season.”
IU Basketball Coach Darian DeVries

Indiana's 2005 home game against No. 1 Duke provides the blueprint of how awesome the student crowd can be at Assembly Hall. The only crowd pop that rivaled this one was the D'Angelo Ponds pick-six in the Peach Bowl this past January.

With Winners, Do Come Losers

Anytime seating gets changed, even if the net outcome is a win, there are losers.

Unfortunately, the season ticket holders and general public fans who sit behind the north goal will be relocated. It is an absolute gut punch for them, and IU did not release details on where they would be relocated.

Indiana will also be charging students an extra fee to "upgrade" to these seats. Milking the students for more money also stinks, but it is the reality of modern-day college athletics.

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