Yes — basketball is the big common thread for Northwestern, KU, and IU, but it’s not the only thing they can “bond over.” Northwestern and IU are Big Ten peers, while KU and IU are also historically tied together through blue- blood basketball status and elite fan bases.

What they share

  • Basketball tradition. IU and KU are classic national brands in men’s college basketball, and Northwestern is part of the same sport-centered conversation when people are comparing major programs.
  • Big-game fan culture. All three have fan bases that care deeply about hoops, and that’s usually the easiest “bonding” point in posts like this.
  • Recent Northwestern–IU context. Northwestern has been a spoiler-type opponent for Indiana lately, which has kept that connection in the basketball spotlight.

Is it basketball for all three?

Mostly, yes. For KU and IU , basketball is the obvious answer; for Northwestern , basketball is also a key answer, though the school’s identity is broader and more academically centered than the other two.

The likely takeaway

If someone asks what Northwestern, KU, and IU “bond over,” the cleanest answer is college basketball obsession and tradition. If you want the more precise version: KU and IU are hoops-first blue bloods, while Northwestern is the outlier that still fits the basketball conversation because of its Big Ten role and recent matchups with Indiana.

Clean rewrite for your post

Quick Scoop: Northwestern, KU, and IU mostly bond over college basketball — with KU and IU being the classic blue-blood pair, and Northwestern joining the conversation through Big Ten hoops and recent Indiana matchups.

Would you like this turned into a sharper, forum-style one-liner?