The 2011–12 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University in the 2011–12 college basketball season. Their head coach was Tom Crean, in his fourth season with the Hoosiers. The team played its home games at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 27–9 overall and 11–7 in Big Ten play. They advanced to the second round of the 2012 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament before falling to Wisconsin. They received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to eventual champion Kentucky.
Preseason
Coach Tom Crean signed a three-man class in 2011.
Season
On December 10, 2011, Indiana beat Kentucky, 73–72 after a last-second shot by Christian Watford. Video of Indiana fans reacting to the shot around the country went viral. ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, who was covering the game for the network, said it was the "best game of the year" and that "[t]he atmosphere there was unreal, as I felt the building shaking after Watford hit the shot." According to Bob Kravitz, the win marked "a day when Hoosier Hysteria was restored to something akin to its former glory."
On December 31, 2011, the Hoosiers knocked off 2nd ranked Ohio State and in doing so became the first IU team in history to knock off the top two ranked teams in the same season. On February 28, 2012, they again beat a Top 5 team by beating No. 5 Michigan State, and became the first IU team since the undefeated 1975–76 team to beat three Top 5 teams in the same year. The Hoosiers earned a number four seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament and defeated New Mexico State in the second round. After defeating VCU in the third round, the Hoosiers lost to eventual champion Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen 102–90, as the Wildcats avenged their lone regular season loss.
Roster
Schedule
!colspan=9| Exhibition
!colspan=9| Regular season
!colspan=12| Big Ten regular season
!colspan=9| Big Ten Conference tournament
!colspan=9| 2012 NCAA tournament
Rankings
+ Regular season pollsPoll Pre-season Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5 Week6 Week7 Week8 Week9 Week10 Week11 Week12 Week13 Week14 Week15 Week16 Week17 Week18 Week19 Final AP NR NR NR NR RV RV 18 17 13 12 7 11 16 20 23 18 23 18 15 16 Coaches NR NR NR RV RV RV 20 18 15 12 8 13 17 20 23 20 24 20 15 17 13 + Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking No change (RV) Received votes
2012 recruiting class
References