The harvest moon gives way to actual harvest. The fields, except those lying fallow, begin yielding their grain. There is a crispness in the air.
Just the sort of context that, in Hoosierland, breeds hysteria.
The hoops kind.
It is an annual autumnal pilgrimage as thousands of Hoosiers adjourn to Indiana University's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for what was once called "Midnight Madness" and is now known as "Hoosier Hysteria."
IU is one of very few programs nationwide to routinely pack its basketball venue for what is essentially a practice evolved into entertainment, a recruiting showcase serving to introduce a new team for a new season.