Indiana men’s basketball will have a busier non-conference slate in 2026-27, and the headliners are easy to spot.
IU announced Tuesday morning that its schedule includes 12 non-conference games, with nine coming at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and three at neutral sites. That total is possible because of an NCAA rule change that took effect this season, raising the limit from 11 non-conference games to 12.
The schedule for the second year of the Darian DeVries era is built around five games against high-major opponents. Indiana will face Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Arkansas at Madison Square Garden, Kentucky at Lucas Oil Stadium, and will also host UCF and Missouri in Bloomington.
DeVries said in the school’s release, “We are excited about how the non-conference schedule came together,” said head coach Darian DeVries. “We will get the opportunity to test ourselves in several high-profile, power-conference games this season. We cannot wait to get this season rolling and be back in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with Hoosier Nation.”
Indiana’s home schedule also includes buy games against Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville, Bowling Green, Western Illinois and Fairleigh Dickinson. Five of those seven - Eastern Illinois, Fairleigh Dickinson, Bellarmine, Bowling Green and Western Illinois - had already been revealed before Tuesday’s full release.
Before the regular season starts, the Hoosiers will play three exhibitions on consecutive Sundays beginning Oct. 11.
That stretch opens at Butler, then continues against North Carolina at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Oct. 18 and Western Kentucky in Evansville on Oct. 25.
The regular season begins with home games against Eastern Illinois on Monday, Nov. 2, and Bellarmine on Thursday, Nov. 5. November also brings Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville and Bowling Green to Bloomington.
The neutral-site portion of the schedule is front-loaded. Indiana will play Syracuse on Monday, Nov. 9, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Arkansas on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Madison Square Garden and Kentucky on Friday, Nov. 20, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
December rounds out the non-conference slate with four more home games: Western Illinois on Thursday, Dec. 3, UCF on Saturday, Dec.
12, Missouri on Friday, Dec. 18 and Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The Big Ten schedule, along with tip times and television designations, will be announced later. The conference slate is expected to include a pair of December games.
In Other News...
Herbstreit Just Gave Indiana Fans A New Reason To Dream Big
Kirk Herbstreit gave Indiana fans a fresh jolt of optimism during a recent ESPN broadcast, projecting the Hoosiers to win the Big Ten in 2026. It is the kind of preseason nod that turns heads because it is not based on hype alone, but on what Herbstreit pointed to as real foundations: a strong coaching staff and key defensive starters coming back.
For Indiana, any conversation about the league race starts with whether the program can sustain the kind of growth that gets it mentioned in the same breath as the conferences traditional heavyweights. Herbstreits call landed in a wider discussion that also had Georgia atop the SEC picture, while several other league contenders are dealing with coaching changes and uncertainty, but Indianas place in that mix is the part Hoosier fans will remember. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Finally Got The Schedule Theyve Been Waiting For
Indiana basketball fans now have a better sense of what the 2026-27 nonconference slate will look like, and it has the kind of name recognition that tends to get attention well before the winter grind begins. Indiana announced a schedule that includes Syracuse, Kentucky, Arkansas, UCF and Missouri, plus an exhibition against North Carolina, with several neutral-site games set for Indianapolis, New York and other spots.
For Darian DeVries, it is the type of early-season lineup that should tell a lot about where his team stands before Big Ten play arrives. The matchups bring a mix of tradition, travel and visibility, and they give Indiana a chance to test itself on a bigger stage while also giving fans a reason to circle dates long before the season tips. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana's Revamped Roster Just Picked Up Another Early Test
Indianas offseason makeover already has the look of a program trying to get back on track quickly, and now Darian DeVries has another useful measuring stick lined up for the 2026-27 season. After an 18-14 finish last year, the Hoosiers have built around a Top-10 transfer portal class, a fresh crop of incoming freshmen and returning pieces such as Trent Sisley and Sam Alexis, giving the roster a far different feel before the schedule even tips.
The latest addition is a home date with UCF on Dec. 12, a non-conference test that should tell Indiana something about where the new group stands in December. Johnny Dawkins Knights are coming off a 21-win season and an NCAA Tournament trip, so this is the kind of matchup that can expose early chemistry issues or confirm that the Hoosiers revamped lineup is moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]