Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball

Indiana State Sycamores
men's basketball
2024–25 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team
UniversityIndiana State University
First season1896
All-time record1,610-1,370 (.540)
Athletic directorNathan Christensen
Head coachMatthew Graves (1st season)
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
LocationTerre Haute, Indiana
ArenaHulman Center
(capacity: 9,000)
NicknameSycamores
Student sectionThe Forest
ColorsRoyal blue and white
   
Uniforms
Home
Away
NCAA tournament runner-up
1968*, 1979
Other NCAA tournament results
Final Four1968*, 1979
Elite Eight1968*, 1979
Sweet Sixteen1967*, 1968*, 1979
Appearances1966*, 1967*, 1968*, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2011
NAIA tournament champions
1950
Other NAIA tournament results
Appearances1942, 1943, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1959, 1962, 1963
Conference tournament champions
MVC: 1979, 2001, 2011
Conference regular-season champions
IIC: 1930, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
ICC: 1951, 1966, 1967, 1968
MVC: 1979, 2000, 2024

* at Division II level

Indiana State Sycamores basketball is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2011.

The Sycamores' first season was 1896, making them the oldest basketball team in the NCAA along with Bucknell, Minnesota, Washington and Yale; however, the records from 1896 to 1899 have been lost over time. The Sycamores boast two College Players of the Year, 14 All-Americans, 42 1,000-point scorers, and 1,600+ victories.

In addition, the Sycamores have 28 postseason appearances (7 NCAA, 5 NIT, 2 CBI, 1 CIT, 12 NAIA, and the 1936 Olympic Trials) with six national championship appearances (2 NCAA, 1 NIT and 3 NAIA). Seven Sycamores were members of the 1951 Pan-American Games gold medal-winning team. The Sycamores' most memorable season was 1978–79, when unanimous National Player of the Year Larry Bird led an undefeated team to its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, as well as the AP and UPI national titles. However, it lost the national title game versus the Magic Johnson-led Michigan State team; and ended the season with a record of 331. Their performance was the deepest run by a first-time participant in the Division I tournament, and one of only three times that a first-time team has advanced as far as the Final Four (UNCC in 1977 and Georgia in 1983). They would not have another postseason appearance until 2000.

The Sycamores were the national runner-up in the NCAA College Division (now Division II) in 1968; they won the NAIA national championship in 1950, had NAIA Finals appearances in 1946 and 1948 and NAIA National semifinals appearances in 1949 and 1953. Most recently, the Sycamores were the 2024 NIT National Finalist. Over the decades, the Sycamores were led by All-Americans Larry Bird, Duane Klueh, Dick Atha, Lenny Rzeszewski, Butch Wade and Jerry Newsom. As the program transitioned from NAIA to the NCAA, one final NAIA highlight was Ray Goddard leading the entire nation (all collegiate divisions) in free-throw percentage (91.2%) during the 1961–62 season. Former head coaches include Hall of Famer John Wooden, Purdue All-American Dave Schellhase, Glenn M. Curtis and well-known college coaches such as Bob King, Royce Waltman, Tates Locke and Ron Greene. Former assistants include collegiate head coaches such as Rick Ray (Mississippi State, Southeast Missouri), Rob Flaska (Centenary), Jim Saia (Cal State-Los Angeles), Stan Gouard (Univ of Southern Indiana) and Benjy Taylor (North Central, Hawai'i and Tuskegee), Thad Matta (Butler, Xavier, Ohio State), Kareem Richardson (Missouri-Kansas City), Phil Hopkins (Western Carolina), Mel Garland (IUPUI), and ABA/NBA Great Mel Daniels.

The Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team currently play their home games at the Hulman Center.