Indiana State Sycamores basketball — program history
Indiana State basketball became nationally famous in 1979 when Larry Bird led the Sycamores to an undefeated regular season and an NCAA Championship Game appearance against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. The program competes in the Missouri Valley Conference and has produced one of the greatest players in basketball history.
The name
The Sycamore tree is abundant in Indiana, and the nickname was adopted in 1920 to reflect the natural landscape of Terre Haute and the surrounding Wabash Valley.
Signature moment
Larry Bird leading Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA Championship Game against Magic Johnson and Michigan State, a matchup that drew the highest TV ratings in NCAA Tournament history.
Larry Bird averaged 30.3 points per game in the 1978-79 season and won the Naismith Award, yet he was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics a year before he finished at Indiana State.
The Indiana State Sycamores compete in the MVC and hold an all-time record of 1240–1154 (.518 winning percentage) across 104 recorded seasons dating back to 1899-00. The program has reached 1 Final Four.
Season-by-season results
More MVC programs
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