Although you might get some argument from Kentucky and UCLA, you can make a pretty compelling case that the University of Indiana is the quintessential college basketball program. Their fans are among the most passionate of any intercollegiate sport and have ranked in the top 15 in attendance every year since 1972 when Assembly Hall opened.
A 2012 study suggested that Indiana was the third most valuable college basketball program in the country and their 5 NCAA Championships is tied for third most with the University of North Carolina behind only Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11). The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers team was the sport’s last undefeated NCAA Champion and is considered among the best college hoops teams in history.
You can’t talk about Indiana basketball without talking about former head coach Bobby Knight. One of the most controversial figures in the history of college basketball, Knight coached the team for 29 years during which the Hoosiers enjoyed their greatest success. Knight amassed a record of 662-239 at the school for a winning percentage of .735. During his tenure at Indiana the Hoosiers won 20 or more games in a season 22 times, made the NCAA tournament 24 times and won the championship on three occasions (1976, 1981, 1987).
Knight left the program in 2000 and in reality they’ve been trying to find a new identity ever since. In the 14 years since Knight’s dismissal they’ve gone through three different coaches and have come no closer to a championship than being runner up in 2002. Tom Crean is the current head coach and has shown some promise. He took the team to the ‘Sweet 16’ in 2012 and 2013 which was the first time IU had reached this stage of the tournament in back to back years since 1994. The Hoosiers regressed somewhat last year finishing 17-15 though that had less to do with Crean’s coaching than it did with a drought of high level talent.
Despite the fact that they’re nowhere near the level of the Bobby Knight years there are few teams that are on TV more often than Indiana. ESPN in particular loves to show games from Assembly Hall–a venue that announcer Gus Johnson once dubbed the ‘Carnegie Hall of basketball”. In addition to games broadcast on ESPN and their online streaming service ESPN3 you can find Indiana basketball broadcast on the Big Ten Network which is available on most US cable and satellite TV systems. The Big 10 Network also provides live streaming through a smartphone/tablet application although full access requires a paid subscription. If the Hoosiers make the NCAA tournament you’ll be able to watch the games on CBS Sports. They’ve been live streaming every game of the tournament online for the past several years.
The best option, however, could be using one of the many streaming services to watch Indiana basketball online free of charge. With this method there’s no need to figure out where the games are being shown on television or through a live stream. There are several websites that provide comprehensive listings of the games available for live streaming. Some of the top streaming sports destinations include wiziwig.tv, first row sports, vipboxsports, stream2watch.me. These sites change their domain name from time to time so a Google search is the best way to find their exact URL. You might also find a new streaming site that has come online while you’re at it.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a Indiana Hoosiers basketball live stream at one or more of the sites listed above. Some sites focus more on European and International sports (eg: soccer, cricket) but there’s plenty of sites that emphasize North American sports including college hoops. Not only should a stream be easy to find but you’ll likely have the option to choose from several different bandwidth speeds which allows you to pick the one that works the best with your Internet and computer setup.
Once you find link to watch streaming Indiana basketball online you’re not necessarily stuck watching the games on your computer. Many streams are compatible with tablets and smart phones though the best option is often using a set top box like a Roku Player or Google Chromecast to enjoy the game on your TV set. Watching Indiana basketball online free is the only way to make sure to catch all of the games with options of watching on a variety of devices.