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College Basketball: Crossroads of America Tournament Is Something We Deserve

By Mychal Hunter

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Kelan Martin #30 of the Butler Bulldogs plays against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Consol Energy Center on March 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Kelan Martin #30 of the Butler Bulldogs plays against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Consol Energy Center on March 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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The State of Indiana is college basketball gold. We need to mine it.

I come from a small town in central Maine. Milo is roughly 70 square miles with a population of just over 2300. College basketball isn’t huge up that way, but regional rivalries are. They are something I have been involved in, and enjoyed since I was a very young.

Having visited the state of Indiana for work, I get a similar feeling. Small towns filled with hard working people who are very prideful of regions from which they hail. Aside from that regional pride, there is something else that Indiana residents are extremely passionate about: Basketball.

I have seen Hoosiers. That pretty much makes me an expert.

A College Basketball Haven

There are ten Division 1 basketball schools in the state. Between the ten of them there are 21 Final Four appearances, 4 National Runner-Ups and 10 National Titles. Now granted, five of those National Titles are from Evansville’s trophy case when they were in Division II. In my eyes, a National Championship is a National Championship.

With that much college basketball history and tradition, the state of Indiana needs its own tournament — The Crossroads of America Tournament.

So, how do you set it up?

Four random teams play their way into the round of 8. You can choose those however you see fit. You rotate the site of the tournament so everyone experiences home court advantage and every town reaps the financial reward. The first year should be played in the same gym that they filmed Hoosiers (Hoosier Gym in Knightstown), but that’s just my opinion.  After that, you simply match-up regional rivals!

Butler and Valparaiso

Only 150 miles separates these two universities. The two have met over 100 times with Butler leading the all-time series 67-36. Valparaiso has had their number in the most recent visits though, winning four in a row. The last time they played was 2012.

Indiana and Indiana State

As if I would pass up the opportunity for this. The last time these two teams met was a year and a half ago. The Sycamores laid a 21 point whooping on the Hoosiers, 90-69 — AT ASSEMBLY HALL! Of course, let us not forget the Larry Bird factor.

Notre Dame and Ball State

It is only 140 miles or so up Route 31 from Muncie to South Bend. Everyone remembers the most recent installment of this rivalry, right? No? Allow me to break your hearts all over again.

His name, is Robert Paulsen. No I am just kidding, that was from Fight Club. His name is Tayler Persons and he is still at Ball State. Irish fans, I dare you to tell me you don’t want to beat that guy by 30.

Purdue vs Evansville

(In my best 30 for 30 voice) What if I told you one of these teams has five titles? What if I then told you that team was Evansville? The last time these two teams met was 12/3/05. Can you guess what happened? If you guessed Evansville won…

Chris Farley Yes GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
Chris Farley Yes GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY /

Now, that game was played in Evansville, and it was Matt Painter’s first season, but still. The Boilermakers did have Carl Landry and Chris Lutz that year.

IUPUI and Fort Wayne

These campuses are roughly 120 miles apart — just a short jaunt up Interstate 69. When IPFW joined the Summit League in 2007, they became conference rivals with their neighbors. IUPUI dominated the first 12 match-ups, going 9-3. Since then, it is 5-4 in favor of the Mastodons. The Jaguars left the Summit for the Horizon League after the 2016-17, season so this conference rivalry ended. Let’s rekindle it.

Next: Writers Play Fact or Fiction with Notre Dame Football

The possibilities for this tournament are literally endless. Doesn’t everyone want to see Bloomington filled with Irish and Sycamore fans as Notre Dame and Indiana State play for this tournament title in Assembly Hall? Doesn’t everyone in Indiana want to attend a tournament in historic Hinkle Field House?

I know I do.