Hoosier basketball larger than life By David Den Herder and Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Writers GAS CITY, Ind. - To a passive observer, the name of Michigan guard Gavin Groninger's hometown - Plainfield, Ind. - might aptly describe the entire Hoosier State. Even this quaint little burg in central Indiana, Gas City, a convenient pitstop on the I-69 return trip from Bloomington, does little to dispel the stereotype. But several cross-state explorations reveal what must be obvious to every Hoosier: Indiana is hardly unified in geographical - or cultural - monotony. The rocky terrain and Kentucky bluegrass influence in the southern half of the state contrast the endless flatlands and somewhat nasal, Chicagoland accents of the north. Indiana doesn't even have a common time zone. The northwestern portion uses Central Time, while the east uses Central Daylight Time in the summer and Eastern Standard Time in the winter. Even so, most residents, north or south, won't deny a common bond: their infatuation with basketball. When it's 5 p.m. in Gary, it's 6 p.m. in Bloomington, and mom, dad and the kids all anticipate their team - be it the Indiana Hoosiers of college hoops or the Indiana Pacers of the NBA - soon taking the court. Only in this state does it seem possible that the woman working the register at a McDonald's in Angola has no idea which time zone she lives in, but she knows exactly who is set to play Indiana at Assembly Hall that night. Most recently, that night was Tuesday, and that team was Michigan. And even though the Hoosiers were up by 30 points for most of the second half, there was not an empty seat in the house at Assembly Hall - the cathedral of college basketball - up to and through the final buzzer. Most of the faithful even stayed for one more chorus of "Our Indiana" despite knowing what the outcome of the game would be an hour earlier. Nevermind that it was a schoolnight - another Big Ten victory in Bloomington was cause for spillover into the local bars. Indiana students at Yogi's - a local joint two blocks off campus - feasted on mini-corndogs and local brew, putting down their pool cues only to watch game highlights replayed on ESPN. The bartender chimes in as Bob Knight graces the row of televisions above his head. "He may not always have the most talent, but he gets the most out of every player." Even two seniors quietly sitting in the corner, who "were bored" at 1 a.m. and decided to hit the bar, knew exactly what their team had done that night, despite never setting foot in Assembly Hall. "Everyone's happy now," says one of the girls between sips of a drink she claims not to know the name of. "You should see this place when we lose, people are so pissed." As swing the Hoosiers, so swing the emotions of Indiana students, and probably the collective emotion of the state. But there does seem to be one commonality that never sways. From the mountainous south to the flat-lying north, everybody feels at least some connection to the hardwood. That is why, while the Citgo attendant and Subway sandwich artist can come up with two completely different explainations on how Gas City got its name, both will offer up a smile - no matter how slight - when somebody says the Hoosiers were victorious. Originally on page 10A in the 1-27-2000 issue of the Daily.