Indiana and Syracuse are brand names in men's college basketball — and a rematch of the 1987 national championship game.
Both teams entered Monday's game in Indianapolis unbeaten, marking the first Power conference game for each school in the early portion of the 2026-27 season.
And it was in a nearly empty Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The home to the Indiana Pacers has a capacity of 17,274. Monday's attendance was listed at 5,047. And that may have even been generous. Indiana has more than 20 high school gyms that could have fit that many fans, with spare change.
In 49 states it's just basketball...
Crowd at tipoff here at Gainbridge Fieldhouse pic.twitter.com/5yJI3C1I0f
— Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) November 9, 2026
There
are plenty of reasons for the light crowd:
- Indiana has missed seven of the past nine NCAA tournaments.
- Syracuse has missed five straight. So it's not exactly a marquee product.
- Some will point to the 6:30 p.m. Monday tip time as a deterrent.
- Really the ticket prices were likely the main culprit with second level seats going for around $75 on average and lower level seats costing north of $250. The upper levels of the arena were curtained off entirely.
- Also, Indiana is a football school now.
Someone explain to me the ticket costs for this IU/Syracuse game.
— Jake Query (@jakequery) November 10, 2026
I don’t buy the “6:30 is an odd time” explanation. This is the crowd of a 2A high school game.
Crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse at tipoff for Syracuse vs. Indiana.
— Zach Horwitz (@HorwitzZach) November 9, 2026
Maybe they were a bit greedy with $100+ upper deck tickets… Or the idea that fans and students alike appreciate these power conference games played on campus. #iubb pic.twitter.com/cR5BRdyb8B
The game was part of the nonconference, off-campus Bad Boys Mowers Series, which will also feature Gonzaga vs. LSU (Nov. 14 in Spokane), Arkansas vs. Indiana (Nov. 17 at Madison Square Garden) and Nebraska vs. Butler (Nov. 22 in Chicago).
Monday's game itself was actually entertaining, with the Hoosiers holding on for a three-point win. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to see it?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana-Syracuse once meant everything. Now they couldn’t fill a high school arena
