18. Isiah Thomas
The original “IT” is the first Indiana Hoosier on this list, but certainly not the last. Isiah may have been the most talented of all the Hoosiers to play for Bobby Knight, as Thomas’ hall of fame NBA career attests to. Long before he lead the Pistons’ “Bad Boys” teams to pro titles, Isiah was the point guard prime mover for Indiana, willing them to a 1981 NCAA title over North Carolina 63-to-50 with 23 points, five assists and four steals.
Oh and he played the entire 40 minutes, managing to stay in the game with four fouls. That game was played in controversy on March 30, 1981 because some think it should have been cancelled after President Reagan had been shot by an assassin earlier in the day. But played the game was on that Monday evening nearly 40 years ago when Isiah Thomas first walked among the legends.