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This game, man. That game, man. Fort Wayne, a team that Illinois State bashed last week, hosted and defeated No. 3 Indiana 71-68 in overtime on Tuesday night in the greatest upset of the young 2016-17 season and the program's first-ever win over a ranked team (0-14 in previous matchups against Associated Press top-25 opponents). Yet, sometime this season, Tuesday's win will become another footnote in a year full of surprises. That's just college basketball. On Saturday, the gridiron giants at Ohio State and Michigan will battle for position in the College Football Playoff rankings. Per USA Today, Ohio State ($167 million) and Michigan ($152 million) are third and fourth, respectively, in annual revenue generated by their athletic departments. Two powerhouse programs that pump millions into their respected football brands should end the year in contention for championships, right? But Indiana's ($83 million in revenue, per USA Today) loss to Fort Wayne ($7.7 million) on Tuesday only makes sense on the hardwood. Something about a basketball court in November -- December, January, February, March and April, too -- breeds madness and omits logic.  Indiana has five national championships. Fort Wayne didn't have a Division I conference prior to 2007. The Hoosiers last reached the Final Four in 2002. Fort Wayne has never appeared in the NCAA tournament.
Fort Wayne coach Jon Coffman makes $150,000. Indiana's Tom Crean ($3 million per year) made $85,000-plus per game last year. And yet, Fort Wayne's fans stormed the floor on Tuesday. This chaos, man. Every year, man. They're called the Mastodons. An extinct species. Dead. Gone. Like the hopes of a program that made the jump from Division III to Division II basketball in 1981 and played as a Division I independent from 2001 through 2007 facing the No. 3 team in America, an Indiana squad that pocketed a win over No. 5 Kansas just 11 days ago. The Hoosiers have James Blackmon, a Fort Wayne native who had averaged 23 points per game entering Tuesday's homecoming and planned to boost that tally against an opponent that KenPom ranked outside its top 100 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ratings prior to Tuesday's upset. Indiana looked like the Big Ten's best -- perhaps the nation's, too -- as Duke hobbled through its opening slate without three injured, five-star freshmen. And then, Tuesday night unfolded. As part of a two-for-one package, Indiana agreed to play this season in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where tickets for Tuesday's game sold out in 44 minutes. Hoosiers fans purchased a sizable number of those seats. Crimson and cream decorated the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. On both sides, most anticipated a victory for an Indiana team KenPom gave an 82 percent chance to win. But ... That pride, man. Their pride, man. The Mastodons' Bryson Scott, a 6-foot-1 guard who finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, is from Fort Wayne. He played with Blackmon on the Spiece Indy Heat AAU squad. He played against Blackmon on the high school circuit, too. He played Tuesday like the rivalry never ended. Mo Evans (Indianapolis) struggled from the field but recorded a game-high five steals. Brent Calhoun (Indianapolis) collected four game-altering blocks. For a night, the Mastodons were the best team in the Hoosier state. Their state. That finish, man. That toughness, man. In the final minutes of regulation, Fort Wayne couldn't score. Indiana's switch to a 2-3 zone late in the game confused the Mastodons, who couldn't find anyone in the high post. They picked bad shots from the perimeter when they couldn't crack Indiana's scheme. In the final 10 minutes of regulation, Fort Wayne shot nine 3-pointers. The Mastodons made one. In overtime, Calhoun and Evans fouled out. But the Mastodons remained scrappy against an Indiana team that seemed incomplete without OG Anunoby, limited to just 13 minutes. With the game on the line, Blackmon, the hometown hero, drove into the lane in a one-point game. And then, Fort Wayne's spider web swallowed him and his program's ambitions. A few ticks later, Fort Wayne had done it. That heat, man. That criticism, man. Indiana deserves the scrutiny. The Hoosiers finished with 15 turnovers. They're averaging turnovers on 23.4 percent of their offensive possessions, per KenPom.com. Indiana can regain its rhythm with a win over North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge next week. But this bad loss will sting and could impact its seeding on Selection Sunday. So, Indiana deserves any heat it brings. In the end, Tuesday will mean far more in Fort Wayne than it will in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers are too talented to sulk. The Mastodons will feast on Tuesday's result, however, forever. No matter what happens with the program in the future, Fort Wayne will always have Nov. 22, 2016, a gift for all observers and a promise of what's ahead in the college basketball season … More drama. This game, man. That game, man.
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