The Hoosiers nation was in a bit of a bind today, watching arguably their most famous alum and most generous donor, Mark Cuban, rocking their rival’s UCLA-themed fit. It was actually an odd sight to witness because the billionaire has been investing tons of money in Indiana football’s NIL. Truth be told, the Shark Tank star was kind of forced to do it.

On January 31, Mark Cuban got caught proudly wearing a “UCLA Dad” shirt during the Indiana vs. UCLA basketball game. Seeing one of their most famous alumni decked out in Bruins blue and gold while sitting courtside at Pauley Pavilion definitely caused a stir on social media.

The reason behind the outfit choice is actually pretty sweet, though. Mind you, Cuban wasn’t just trolling his old school or one of his gimmicks. The word is he was there to support his daughter, Alyssa, who is a freshman rower at UCLA. He’s officially a “Bruin Dad” now, and even billionaires have to represent their kids’ schools! To keep things a bit “Hoosier,” his shirt actually had a small note on the sleeve acknowledging his IU roots, so he hadn’t totally jumped ship.

Even though he was wearing the wrong colors, Cuban couldn’t help himself when the game got intense. People at the arena noticed that every time Indiana made a big play, he was still jumping up and cheering for them. Not going to lie, it’s hard to turn off that lifelong loyalty, especially since he just watched his Indiana football team go 16-0 and win their first ever natty a few days ago. Plus, the man has been pumping money into their sports programs for years now.

The game itself ended up being an absolute thriller that probably made Cuban’s heart race. It went into double overtime, and Indiana barely escaped with a 98-97 win. Nick Dorn was the hero of the night, dropping 26 points, but it was Trent Sisley’s clutch free throw at the very end to seal the deal for the Hoosiers.

In the end, Indiana fans can breathe easy knowing Cuban is still “Cream and Crimson” at heart. He might be wearing a UCLA shirt to keep the peace at home, but his checkbook and his cheers are still very much with the Hoosiers. Rest assured.

Mark Cuban’s fund for IU football

For years, Cuban mostly gave money to things like the Kelley School of Business or tech projects. In 2015, he famously donated $5 million to create the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology, which gave students 24-hour access to cutting-edge tools like 3D broadcasting and virtual reality. He also dropped $6 million to support the IU rugby club, the team he actually played for when he was a student in the late ’70s.

For a while, Cuban actually refused to donate directly to the athletic department because he didn’t want to do anything that might accidentally raise tuition for students. But that all changed when Curt Cignetti became the head football coach in 2024. Cuban hit it off with Cignetti and then decided it was time to put his money on the house. In late 2024, he made his first big direct gift to the athletic department, calling it a “big number” that helped build the powerhouse 2025 roster.

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Since then, Cuban has basically become the “sugar daddy” for Indiana football’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) efforts. He’s been pumping millions into the program to help attract and keep top talent through the transfer portal. Just this January, he told reporters he “doubled down” on his donation for the 2026 season, jokingly saying the school is even “happier this year than last year.”

There was even a rumour going around on socials that he offered $39.8-ish million (first overall pick money) to Fernando Mendoza to come back for one year (a bit of a stretch). Obviously, Mendoza had already dipped into the draft. To keep things rolling, his fund bought one of the best gunslingers from the portal in Josh Hoover. At the end of the day, he wouldn’t blink twice about investing more if the Hoosiers go out there and win another natty next year.