Indiana Basketball Debuts New Uniforms Against Washington

Indiana men's basketball wore new alternate uniforms against Washington Saturday night, which featured black as the primary color and 'Indiana' written in the school's script logo instead of the team's classic block lettering. 

The uniforms are similar, if not identical to alternates the women's team wore earlier this season. The team wore them without any announcement from the school or program beforehand. 

Two days later, neither the school nor Adidas have released statements about the uniforms, so it's not clear whether they will be available for purchase or not. 

This is yet another strange moment in what's been something of an awkward year between Indiana University and its apparel partner, Adidas. 

The men's and women's basketball teams both wore Black History Month alternates as planned, but abruptly canceled a separate alternate uniform the school had announced as a collaboration with Adidas' Fear of God line. 

The Fear of God uniforms were teased on the school's social media accounts, as well the men's and women's basketball accounts before all of the posts were deleted. 

The school has yet to elaborate on the decision, though reporting from the Indiana Daily Student highlights how few people were a part of the decision not to wear the Fear of God uniforms. 

The blowback and confusion surrounding that release may help explain why the school didn't announce the new alternates from the men's team, but responses to the new uniforms appear to have been mostly positive. 

The positive reaction from fans is particularly notable, because recent Adidas alternates from Indiana had drawn mixed reviews, at best. 

Indiana and Adidas are in the first year of a new contract, extended last summer through 2034. The two have been partners since 2004, with extensions along the way. 

Adidas has supported Indiana outside of apparel as well, signing Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis, to NIL deals during their time in Bloomington. 

As of now, the black alternates are not available for purchase online, but that could change given the generally positive response from fans. It's also unknown as to whether Indiana will wear them again, but the Hoosiers are 1-0 in black, so it could be something coach Mike Woodson goes back to for the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament. 

When asked if he liked the new jerseys, Woodson replied simply, 

"I like winning.”

So far, these have been winning uniforms, on and off the court, for Indiana men's basketball.