While Sen. Ted Cruz was down in the wonky weeds, scouring the rule books for how to win delegates after losing primaries, Donald Trump was deploying a ground game of a different sort in Indiana.

Trump critics say he doesn’t really understand politics, doesn’t know the intricacies of the game — telephone banks, going door-to-door with thousands of volunteers, shaking hands, kissing babies, etc. And he sure didn’t get that you have to lock down big-name endorsements, like, in this case, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who backed Cruz (albeit in the most tepid endorsement ever).

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While those critics may be right, it’s also possible that Trump is playing a different game. The billionaire businessman skipped the politicos and went for the biggest names in the state: Bobby Knight, Digger Phelps, Lou Holtz, and Gene Keady.

Bobby Knight is a legend in the Hoosier State as a former head basketball coach at Indiana University, which won three national championships under his guidance. Knight and Trump appear to be kindred spirits on the campaign trail as they barnstorm Indiana — saying whatever pops into their heads — and Hoosiers love it.

Then there’s Digger Phelps and Gene Keady, the former head coaches of the Notre Dame and Purdue University men’s basketball teams. “Coaches know how to get things done,” Phelps said at a Monday Trump rally. “Donald Trump is one of the great coaches of this country and we’re all tired of what’s not gotten done for us the last eight years in this country, and trust me with this, he is the man who will make America great again.”

Along with the basketball heavyweights, Trump also secured the endorsement of Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach. “There are nothing but winners in Indiana,” Holt said in his endorsement video. “The main reason I’m endorsing him: I have played his golf course and stayed in his hotel. He does nothing but go first class on everything. He wants his country to be first class as well.”

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Trump has touted his celebrity sports endorsements in Indiana, while Cruz enjoys that lukewarm Pence backing. The GOP front-runner — who once sat 16 points behind Cruz in Indiana — is now enjoying a comfortable 15-point lead ahead of Tuesday’s primary contest. With a win in the Hoosier State, Trump becomes the inevitable GOP nominee — like it or not.

In recent days, Republican Party leaders, convention delegates, and even former rival candidates have admitted the inevitability of a Trump nomination, recognizing that the will of the people cannot be denied — especially in the year of the outsider. The people have spoken and they have railed against the Establishment and the political system that they believe turned a blind eye to them for decades.

Throughout the past month, individual states have held their Republican conventions, where the delegates that will be sent to the national convention in July are selected. The outcomes of these state conventions have created quite a stir, however, as Ted Cruz has attained sweeping victories — ensuring that his supporters are selected as delegates. These victories led to an uproar from the people, spurred on by the GOP front-runner, claiming that the system is rigged — leaving Trump one option: to play the game.

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This presidential cycle has brought the end of politics as usual and political consultants are left scratching their heads. At the beginning of the GOP primary cycle, many in the GOP consulting class thought Trump’s candidacy was a joke and that without a well-oiled political operation his campaign would falter — instead, the people ate it up, craving a change.

In the 2016 election cycle, the traditional ground game has taken a backseat in American electoral politics. But now, as the race draws to a close, ground game will be more important than ever.. Whoever has the best ground game and organization to round up delegates on the first ballot will be the one to claim victory.

But knowing Trump, it won’t be the traditional ground game that wins it all. He’s playing a different game — but he’s also making his own rules now.