Why is Mark Cuban at national championship game? IU alum watching Hoosiers

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Editor’s Note: Indiana is playing Miami football in the CFP national championship game. Follow live updates here.

Similar to their invasion of Atlanta for the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal, the Indiana football fan base has taken over Miami Gardens, Florida for the Hoosiers’ first national championship game appearance.

REQUIRED READING: Mark Cuban on Indiana football spending: ‘I’m like investing in an entrepreneur in Shark Tank’

The list of Indiana alumni who have traveled to Hard Rock Stadium includes long-time entrepreneur and former Dallas Mavericks principal owner Mark Cuban, who made another media tour on the field pregame to hype up his alma mater, which included a pregame appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

The Hoosiers are one win away from finishing off an unbelievable two-year turnaround under Curt Cignetti, who has led the Hoosiers to a 26-2 overall record since he was hired from James Madison. To make the CFP title game, Indiana has bulldozed its way through both No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl with 35-point and 34-point wins, respectively.

With an Indiana win, the Hoosiers would become the first Big Ten program not named Ohio State or Michigan to win a national championship since Michigan State in 1965.

Here’s what to know on why Cuban is at the national championship game:

Why is Mark Cuban at national championship?

Like many Indiana fans, Cuban is taking in the national championship game looking to watch his alma mater win its first-ever College Football Playoff title.

Is Mark Cuban from Indiana?

No, Cuban is not a resident of the state of Indiana. He hails originally from Pittsburgh and currently lives in Texas.

Did Mark Cuban go to IU?

Yes, Cuban graduated from Indiana in 1981 from Indiana’s Kelley School of Business. He didn’t start his collegiate studies at Indiana, though, as he transferred from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mark Cuban NIL donation

Cuban has been in the headlines in recent weeks for his latest financial contributions to the Indiana athletic department and the Hoosiers’ football program.

It was reported by Front Office Sports just ahead of the Hoosiers’ CFP Peach Bowl semifinal win that he had made another donation to Indiana’s athletic department during the Hoosiers’ CFP run. Cuban’s donation marked the second notable donation he has made to the university’s athletic department since Cignetti was hired.

“It wasn’t any one thing, it was just who he was,” Cuban said on Monday’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN about why he has been attracted to Cignetti and the reason behind his donations. “He didn’t come in and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to do all these grand things.’ He’s just, ‘This is how we do it. I have a specific way, it’s always worked. There’s no reason why it’s not going to work again.’ I’m like investing in an entrepreneur in ‘Shark Tank.’

“He’d been there and done that, he had an approach. He has a system. The way he designs everything, the way he builds organizations. That’s really what connected me.”

Where is Mark Cuban from?

Cuban hails from Pittsburgh, the very same city Cignetti was born in.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Mark Cuban at national championship game?

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