Indiana State University's men's basketball team scored a huge victory against a nationally ranked opponent Wednesday night.
And while the win puts them one shot closer to the NCAA tournament next month, the campus is already alive with school spirit.
"ESPN has really kind of taken Indiana State on as one of their sweethearts," said Ron Prettyman, Director of Athletics at ISU.
And so has the community.
More than 8,000 people jammed the Hulman Center Wednesday night to watch the Sycamores defeat the nationally-ranked Creighton - and the electricity in the arena is carrying over to campus.
"With the sports teams being successful, I think it really builds school spirit among the students, which brings them in to pick up the latest and greatest gear that we carry," said Derek Holbert, general manager at Barnes and Noble at Indiana State.
The ISU Barnes and Noble has already noticed a spike in Sycamore sales, and it's not just college students who are feeling the fever.
"It's not just our program, not just the university... it's a whole community of Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley. We want people to enjoy victories, and not be so down when we lose, but to enjoy this team," said ISU men's basketball Coach Greg Lansing.
And playing in front of a packed house can be the most important motivator.
"How the community and the student body supported, so significantly, their efforts. And so it's evident... I don't know if it's measurable, but it's evident... that it has a huge impact on the outcome of the games," said Prettyman.
And while ISU is gaining some national attention, the team is also boosting hometown pride.
"They like to see our local teams do well. We've got some local guys, we've got a lot of good guys, so we're just trying to do our part. We're just a piece of the puzzle here but it's fun to get good wins," said Lansing.
And sending a message for the rest of this season - and beyond:
"Yeah, we're a real player, we're involved in this thing and with the quality of teams that we've beat this year...we're going to be force to be reckoned with all the way through March Madness," said Prettyman.
You can catch the Sycamores in action.
The ISU men's team will take on Southern Illinois University on Saturday. Game time is 1:05 p.m. at the Hulman Center.
The women's team will face Creighton on Friday night. Tip off is set for 7:05.
For a complete list of the Sycamore's schedule, click here.
And while the win puts them one shot closer to the NCAA tournament next month, the campus is already alive with school spirit.
"ESPN has really kind of taken Indiana State on as one of their sweethearts," said Ron Prettyman, Director of Athletics at ISU.
And so has the community.
More than 8,000 people jammed the Hulman Center Wednesday night to watch the Sycamores defeat the nationally-ranked Creighton - and the electricity in the arena is carrying over to campus.
"With the sports teams being successful, I think it really builds school spirit among the students, which brings them in to pick up the latest and greatest gear that we carry," said Derek Holbert, general manager at Barnes and Noble at Indiana State.
The ISU Barnes and Noble has already noticed a spike in Sycamore sales, and it's not just college students who are feeling the fever.
"It's not just our program, not just the university... it's a whole community of Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley. We want people to enjoy victories, and not be so down when we lose, but to enjoy this team," said ISU men's basketball Coach Greg Lansing.
And playing in front of a packed house can be the most important motivator.
"How the community and the student body supported, so significantly, their efforts. And so it's evident... I don't know if it's measurable, but it's evident... that it has a huge impact on the outcome of the games," said Prettyman.
And while ISU is gaining some national attention, the team is also boosting hometown pride.
"They like to see our local teams do well. We've got some local guys, we've got a lot of good guys, so we're just trying to do our part. We're just a piece of the puzzle here but it's fun to get good wins," said Lansing.
And sending a message for the rest of this season - and beyond:
"Yeah, we're a real player, we're involved in this thing and with the quality of teams that we've beat this year...we're going to be force to be reckoned with all the way through March Madness," said Prettyman.
You can catch the Sycamores in action.
The ISU men's team will take on Southern Illinois University on Saturday. Game time is 1:05 p.m. at the Hulman Center.
The women's team will face Creighton on Friday night. Tip off is set for 7:05.
For a complete list of the Sycamore's schedule, click here.
