BLOOMINGTON — Kirkwood Avenue was packed Monday as Indiana University fans flooded downtown Bloomington to watch the Hoosiers compete on the championship stage.
By early morning, lines wrapped around nearly every bar along the street, with some fans camping out overnight in freezing temperatures just for a chance to get inside.
“At every bar, everywhere in town, it didn’t matter where you were,” said Myles Babcock, who has lived in Bloomington for 25 years. “Everybody was wrapped around every corner.”
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At the Upstairs Pub, the energy was already high hours before kickoff. Students said they had been waiting since the night before to secure a spot to watch the game.
From boutique shops filled with IU gear to watch parties drawing hours-long lines, the championship atmosphere was impossible to miss.
Several stores had championship shirts printed and ready, though still boxed away, awaiting the game’s outcome.
“I’ve seen this team be 2-10, I’ve seen this team be 3-8,” said Spencer Shuff, a master’s student at IU. “It’s time to go win the big one.”
Shuff said he and many others endured brutal cold overnight to be part of the moment.
“It was -6,” he said. “We were all out there with blankets and tents."
The excitement wasn’t limited to current students. Alumni from across the country returned to Bloomington to celebrate at their alma mater.
Nicky and Abby traveled from Arizona to watch the game on Kirkwood Avenue, where their relationship first began.
“IU means so much to us,” Nicky said. “We met here and we’re getting married in about a year.”
The couple said the championship appearance was years in the making.
“We’ve been so excited and waited years for IU to be here,” Abby said. “It literally means everything to us.”
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