Indiana basketball closes out its preseason exhibition schedule Sunday with a trip to the Ford Center in Evansville, where the Hoosiers will take on Western Kentucky in their third and final tune-up before the games start counting.
That final exhibition comes on the heels of a strong showing against North Carolina, when Indiana rolled to a 76-58 win last Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. For second-year coach Darian DeVries, this is the last chance to get a full look at a revamped roster before the regular season opens.
Here’s the basics for the matchup: Indiana and Western Kentucky will tip at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 26, from Evansville, Ind.
The game will air on Big Ten Plus, with Jay Wilson handling play-by-play and Chloe Marotta serving as analyst. On the radio side, the IU Radio Network will carry it with Don Fischer on play-by-play and Errek Suhr as analyst.
Sunday’s exhibition will stream exclusively on B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service.
The Hoosiers have had the upper hand in the series, leading Western Kentucky 2-1 and winning the last two meetings. Their most recent matchup came on Dec. 28, 1994, when Indiana earned a 65-55 win in Indianapolis.
Evansville has been a comfortable stop for Indiana, too. The Hoosiers have won all four of their previous games in the city, including a 94-73 victory over Evansville in 2011, which was the second game ever played at the Ford Center.
Beyond the matchup itself, Sunday gives Indiana one more chance to answer a few early questions. The clearest bright spot so far has been rebounding. Indiana pulled down 17 offensive boards against Butler, then followed that with 20 more against North Carolina.
That’s a major note for a team that had its issues on the glass at times last season. Early on, the new frontcourt looks like it could be a real upgrade, and another strong rebounding night would only strengthen that impression.
The next step is turning those extra possessions into easier points. Indiana has controlled the boards, but the fast-break production hasn’t matched that edge. The Hoosiers managed just 13 fast-break points against Butler and seven against North Carolina, and DeVries said Wednesday that’s an area his team still needs to sharpen.
Rotations are worth watching, too, especially with the freshmen. Trevor Manhertz appears to have carved out a spot in the mix, while Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala and Clemens Sokolov haven’t had nearly as many chances.
If Indiana gets control of the game, Sunday could give those younger players a chance to make a stronger push for minutes.
For now, the Hoosiers have put together plenty to like through two exhibitions. The final one is about building on that start and cleaning up the loose ends before the season begins.
In Other News...
Indiana Has A Real Problem As Title Hopes Stay Alive
Indianas playoff hopes are very much alive, and the defense has been a big reason why. At 7-1, the Hoosiers have built a profile that belongs in the national top tier, staying in games against elite opposition and giving themselves a legitimate shot at a postseason run even as the schedule stiffens.
The concern is harder to ignore on offense, where this group has not matched the production Indiana enjoyed in previous seasons. The Hoosiers can survive with a dominant defense for now, but the margin shrinks against top-10-caliber teams, and how they handle those offensive issues from here will say a lot not just about this season, but about where the program is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Complicated Ranking Drop After Costly Upset
Miami stayed put at No. 1 in the AP college football rankings after handling Pittsburgh, and the top of the poll now gets a fresh shakeup behind it. BYU, which entered the weekend at No. 2, suffered a double-overtime loss to unranked UCF, a result that should send the Cougars sliding when the new rankings come out. Ohio State is widely projected to climb into the No. 2 spot, but the rest of the top tier is less settled.
For Indiana fans, the intrigue is in how much the committee of pollsters reshuffles the next few places around the Hoosiers. Notre Dame, Indiana and Georgia all sit in the mix for the top six, and their exact order is still uncertain after BYUs upset opened the door for movement. The Hoosiers are left waiting on the voters to decide just how dramatic the fallout becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Get One More Look Before DeVries Turns To What Counts
Indiana will wrap up exhibition play Sunday afternoon in Evansville, giving Hoosiers fans one more chance to see Darian DeVries team before the games start counting for real. The matchup with Western Kentucky at the Ford Center comes after a 2-0 preseason that included wins over Butler and North Carolina, a start that has at least offered an early glimpse of how this roster is taking shape.
Western Kentucky, coached by Hank Plona, brings its own test into the building, led by scorer Teagan Moore and guard Armelo Boone. For Indiana, the setting is less about the record than the last tune-up, the final opportunity to work through rotations and sharpen details before moving on to the part of the schedule that will define what this team is. [Read more 🡒]