Indiana Basketball Replacing Hoosier Hysteria with 'Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood'

Indiana men's and women's basketball is moving away from Hoosier Hysteria but will have player introductions, skills contests and a meet-and-great this fall.

Indiana basketball will be moving away from Hoosier Hysteria this fall. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana basketball is putting a new twist on Hoosier Hysteria, formerly an annual pre-season introductory event, by debuting Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood this fall.

Indiana announced in a press release Wednesday the men's and women's basketball programs will host an interactive fan event from 8-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 2, across the 300, 400 and 500 blocks of Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington. Indiana Athletics and Bloomington officials met Monday to finalize the details.

"Among the event’s attractions will be player introductions, skills competitions, and meet-and-greet opportunities," the release said.

Hoosier Hysteria, a near-50-year event previously known as Midnight Madness, featured all three at various points. In 2024, Indiana introduced players on both the men's and women's basketball teams, held a skills competition that featured dribbling, passing and shooting, provided a 3-point shooting contest and played knockout. The men's team ran a 15-minute scrimmage to end the event.

While specifics regarding the skills competition will be released at a later date, the retention of player introductions and meet-and-great opportunities furthers new Indiana men's basketball coach Darian DeVries' fall mission of connecting to Hoosier fans.

DeVries has made an effort to be in the community, be it helping freshmen move into their dorms, speaking at the Monroe County YMCA or meeting customers at the mid-August debut of apparel store Homefield at Tracks on Kirkwood.

Hoosiers Hoops on Kirkwood provides fans with their first look at Indiana's new-look men's and women's basketball team. The Hoosiers' men's squad doesn't return any coaches or scholarship players from last year, while the women's team, led by 12th-year coach Teri Moren, has eight new faces.

Indiana men's basketball will play two preseason exhibition games, one Oct. 17 against Marian and the other Oct. 26 against Baylor in Indianapolis, before tipping off the regular season Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Moren and the Hoosiers' women's basketball team has an exhibition set for Oct. 27 against Missouri S&T before starting the regular season Nov. 4 against Lipscomb.