INDIANA, USA — The entire NCAA tournament is being played in different venues and cities throughout Indiana.
Keeping it in one state, and mostly in Indianapolis, was the COVID safe solution.
Indiana has a long, storied history when it comes to basketball.
“Basketball is a game that's I think is uniquely suited to Indiana,” Senior Editor at the Indiana Historical Society Ray Boomhower said.
While the game didn’t originate in Indiana – legend has it that the first organized game was held in Crawfordsville in 1894, between the Crawfordsville and Lafayette YMCA teams.
In the 1900s, Indiana had a strong tradition of agriculture. Spring was time to plant, fall was time to harvest. That left kids without anything to do in the winter, so they picked up basketball.
“You didn't need a lot of players to get a team together, you only needed five, uniforms weren't that difficult to get,” Boomhower said. “You could play it in any place, a barn, you could play it in a roller rink, church community room.”
It turned from just something to do, into something that brought schools and communities together.
“The Indiana High School Athletic Association started the first state high school basketball tournament in 1910,” Boomhower said.
It’s the oldest, and one of the most prestigious high school basketball tournaments in the country. The sport is also prominent on the college level, producing some legendary talents.
“We've had some great coaches and great teams,” Boomhower said. “I'm an Indiana University graduate so we always look to those national championships that Indiana has won with Branch McCracken and later on with Bobby Knight.”
Now, this March, the Hoosier Hysteria is on display for the world to see. All eyes are on Indiana for the next few weeks, as the best college teams battle for the title.
“It’s a way to highlight something that's been part of the Indiana character for a long, long time,” Boomhower said.
►Contact reporter Rose McBride at rmcbride@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@rosemcbridetv) and Facebook.