Sea of blue nothing new for Indiana State. But at Hinkle? 'It felt like a home game.'

INDIANAPOLIS — Playing in front of capacity crowds is nothing new for Indiana State, this spring especially, as the Sycamore faithful packed the Hulman Center to support their team during its NIT run. The community is heavily invested in their men’s basketball team and the program’s high-scoring, high-flying style of play is perfectly suited for such ravenous supporters. 

So of course there was a sea of blue — a very, very loud sea of blue — there to greet the top-seeded Sycamores as they took the floor at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the NIT semifinals Tuesday.

“It felt like a home game,” senior Xavier Bledson said following Indiana State's 100-90 win over No. 2-seed Utah. "The atmosphere is crazy, they're looking down on you. It's a different feeling. It felt amazing."

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The scene Tuesday was in stark contrast to what Utah coach Smith experienced Monday, describing a “peaceful" and almost "serene" atmosphere that greeted the Utes when they arrived for practice. "Anybody who understands basketball understands the tradition of this amazing place. It was really kind of calming,” he said.

"Tonight was obviously a different vibe."

Smith spent the week blasting music and crowd noise, and installing viral and non-verbal calls in preparation for the hostile environment. And there were still a couple occasions in the first half when only four of the five Utah players knew what play was being run. "(The fans) showed up and you could certainly feel that," Smith said.

The Sycamore faithful helped spur the team's first major run of the second half, feeding off the electricity of a no-look, underhand pass from Julian Larry to Robbie Avila underneath the basket that staked ISU to a three-point lead and brought chants of "I-S-U" raining down from the capacity crowd.

That was the main highlight from ISU's game-tilting 10-2 run early in the second half. Those involved agreed on the crowd's role in fueling it and the game flow illustrates its influence on the final result with the Sycamores gradually ceding control from there.

"When that happened, I was like, 'Oh yeah, we might be up to something,'" Bledson said. "It's time. It's winning time, for sure."

On a night when the Sycamores scored 100 points, knocked down 12 3-pointers, shot 57% from the field and had four different players score in double figures, one of their biggest stars was the hometown kid, Pike alum Ryan Conwell.

Back at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time as a player, he reflected on Butler games he attended with a childhood friend when they were young. "It's crazy how it came full circle," Conwell said. 

"Full circle" is an apt label for the sophomore's journey back to Hinkle Fieldhouse, and he marked the occasion with a career performance: 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting with four 3s, plus six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block to help the Sycamores (32-6) advance to Thursday's NIT championship game opposite Seton Hall.

There's something about playing in Indianapolis that brings out the best in the 6-4 sophomore, coach Josh Schertz observed, citing Conwell's 27 points at Gainbridge Fieldhouse vs. Ball State in December.

"Being around the home folks gets him excited," Schertz laughed. "But what a phenomenal player, a special player. And as good as he is as a player — he's elite — he's an even better human being."

The sea of blue that greeted the Trees on Tuesday may pale in comparison to what’s in store for Thursday.

"It's an amazing feeling to continue being able to play in front of a crowd like that. It's a blessing," Avila said. "We hope to do this Thursday, too. … We're winners. We came here with one single goal and it's time to get the second win."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.