Indiana-Syracuse basketball draws just 5K fans. 'Depressing'
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- Indiana and Syracuse, both historically significant men's college basketball programs, faced off in a rematch of the 1987 national championship, with both teams entering the game unbeaten in the 2026-27 season.
- The game was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, which has a capacity of 17,274, but attendance was notably low at around 5,047, with large sections of the arena curtained off.
- Factors contributing to the sparse crowd included both teams' recent struggles, with Indiana missing seven of the last nine NCAA tournaments and Syracuse missing five straight, as well as high ticket prices and a Monday 6:30 p.m. tip time.
- Indiana's shift in focus toward football and the game's status as part of the nonconference Bad Boys Mowers Series, featuring other notable matchups, may have also influenced fan turnout.
