LAFAYETTE, Ind. — It almost resembled Iowa, if you squinted.

Senator Ted Cruz expressed gratitude for the “common-sense good judgment” of Midwesterners.

His stump speech had scarcely changed, from a favorite anecdote about a drawling West Texas farmer to a running countdown of the time remaining before the primary. (“Fifty-one hours,” he said sternly.)

He drew a crowd of several hundred at a faith-based community center here, whose cheers at times coaxed the Texas senator to guttural shouts.

One woman held a sign: “Pray’n For Ted.”

“The eyes of the entire country,” Mr. Cruz said, “now rest on Indiana.”