Indiana sports has been on an absolute tear recently. The Crossroads of America has been the sports capital recently. Known for hosting big sporting events, Indiana teams have been the stars. With a great postseason run comes the chance for postseason disappointment. Look no further than the golden era of Indianapolis Colts football. The highs are high but the lows are more frequent. Indiana sports has had a great go at it recently but only one could cap it off.
While the Colts didn’t make the postseason
this year, they started off hot and had the NFL buzzing. An AFC leading 8-2 crumbled under seven straight losses and made for a disappointing end. Be as proud as you want of the Pacers, but watching them lose with one half of basketball between them and a championship was crushing. The heroics of Tyrese Haliburton made for the run of the century, but they fell just short of their first NBA championship.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse stayed alive during a gritty playoff run as the Fever navigated life without their star in Caitlin Clark, pushing the eventual champs to the brink. Let’s not forget about Purdue basketball who had their own magical ride in the tournament two years ago. After getting booted early on repeat, Matt Painter led his team to the championship game but fell to UConn.
So many “what if’s” and “if only’s” served as the fly in the ointment for what could have been. Close but no cigar turned into a Curt Cignetti championship last night as the Indiana Hoosiers did the unthinkable. No one, and I mean no one had this team on their radar for this type of performance two years ago. The story doesn’t need repeating, but it absolutely defies logic.
Cignetti won a national title in two years. Chris Ballard is looking for his first division title in nine… Maybe that is an unfair dig, but think about it. The fact the Colts haven’t won the division during his tenure shows how hard it is to win. Each game is a battle, each season a war. The Colts haven’t been able to figure it out, so to witness the Hoosiers do it in short order should make your jaw drop.
This is a Colts blog, so maybe you don’t care about the Pacers or Fever. Maybe, as a Purdue fan, watching Indiana University football win it all is making you sick. Regardless of your affiliations, this has been a wild run for Indiana sports. One can’t help but tip their cap to the Hoosiers today. It was an incredible display, the likes we have never seen before and may never see again. It may not make up for the losses of the other local teams in your mind, but Indiana winning a championship in football, yes football, will go down in sports history. Where others gave their best shot and the fans something to cheer for, the 2025 Hoosiers finished the deal and are national champions.
