Overview
The Indiana State Sycamores are forever linked to one of college basketball's most iconic seasons, when Larry Bird led an unranked Terre Haute program to the brink of a national title. Home games at Hulman Center still carry the echo of that unbeaten 1979 run. The Sycamores' blue and white identity is built on the underdog story that captivated the country and helped launch the modern NCAA Tournament era. Indiana State has remained a scrappy Missouri Valley Conference competitor ever since. Terre Haute basketball history begins and ends with Bird's Sycamores.
History & Legacy
Indiana State moved to Division I in 1971 and joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Behind National Player of the Year Larry Bird, the 1978-79 Sycamores went 33-0 and reached the NCAA championship game, the most-watched college basketball game in history, before falling to Magic Johnson's Michigan State squad. Indiana State has won two Missouri Valley Tournament titles, in 1979 and 2001, and remains best known nationally for that historic Bird-led season.
Source: RateGame Editorial
ConferenceMissouri Valley
Championships2 (1979, 2001)
School Founded1865
Home VenueHulman Center
RivalsIllinois State
All-Time IconLarry Bird — "The Hick from French Lick," 1979 runner-up
Retired Numbers33 (Larry Bird), 54 (Duane Klueh), 41 (Jerry Newsom)
ColorsRoyal Blue and White
MascotSycamore Sam