IUPUI joins the Pacers for two celebratory nights at BankersLife Fieldhouse

IUPUI Night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse has returned once again. This time, IUPUI had the opportunity to celebrate at not one, but two Pacers games. IUPUI Night took place Monday Feb.10 against the Brooklyn Nets, where a co-branded IUPUI/Pacers headscarf was given to the first 3,000 fans. 

The night didn’t end there with school festivities. IUPUI’s mascots Jawz and Jazzy were seen before the start of the game taking pictures with students and hanging out with the Pacers mascot, Boomer. 

During a timeout in the second quarter, a few IUPUI seniors were thrown into graduation gowns and participated in a relay competition. 

“[The Division of Enrollment Management] assists each year. Our student ambassadors pass out IUPUI/Pacers swag as guests enter Bankers Life Fieldhouse,”  Cindy Harkness, strategic outreach and community partnerships coordinator said. “We did a live promotion of our campus, then the ambassadors participated in a fun time out challenge, where they got to be right on the floor of Bankers Life.” 

Halftime is where IUPUI really got their chance to be noticed. The school of Engineering and Technology and the school of Health and Human Sciences were recognized for their work on GoBabyGo. GoBabyGo is a program where students create kid-sized cars for children with disabilities. 

“This wonderful partnership and participation is really a team effort from many areas of our amazing IUPUI campus,” Harkness said. 

IUPUI’s honorary team captains, women’s soccer midfielder, Emma Chambers and cross-country’s Katelyn Murphy were recognized for their excellent athletic achievements and had the opportunity to meet some Pacers players. 

“It was an honor to get recognized at the game. I am one of the captains on my cross-country and track team, so it was really neat to be a part of such a well-known group of athletes,” Murphy said. “I’ve never met such tall humans in my life, it was really fun.” 

During the fourth quarter, a t-shirt cannon tossed co-branded IUPUI/Pacers shirts into the crowd. 

Following Monday’s game, IUPUI Hat Night took place on Wednesday, Feb. 12 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Current Bucks point guard and former IUPUI player, George Hill returned to Indianapolis. The first 200 tickets purchased in selected areas of Bankers Life Fieldhouse received a limited-edition IUPUI/Pacers hat and had courtside access during the pregame warm-ups. 

“I’ve never sat that close at a Pacers game before, so it was a cool experience. I really enjoyed having an up-close view before the game started,” Hallie Marten, a senior at IUPUI, said. “I love the hat so much. It’s so cool that IUPUI and the Pacers made a hat together. It represents Indy so well.” 

The Pacers ended their six game losing streak Wednesday night, putting a pleasant end to the IUPUI events.