Indiana men’s basketball is headed back to Madison Square Garden, and this time the opponent is Arkansas.
Indiana announced Monday that the Hoosiers will meet the Razorbacks at MSG in New York City on Nov. 17 as part of the Bad Boy Mowers Series. The matchup adds another heavyweight nonconference test to Indiana’s 2026-27 schedule, which already includes Syracuse, Kentucky and Missouri. The Syracuse and Kentucky games are set for Nov. 9 and 20.
The trip gives Indiana another chance to measure itself at the “Mecca of Basketball.” The Hoosiers last played at MSG during the 2023-24 season, when they dropped a game to UConn before beating Louisville 74-66 in the Empire Classic.
History between Indiana and Arkansas has been tight, at least by the numbers. The Hoosiers are 2-3 all-time against the Razorbacks, with four of those meetings coming since the 2007-08 season. Arkansas won the most recent matchup, a 71-64 result at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall during the 2019-20 season.
The only neutral-site meeting came in the 2008 NCAA tournament, when Arkansas beat Indiana 86-72 in a first-round game at the RBC Center, now the Lenovo Center, in Raleigh, North Carolina. D.J. White scored 22 points for Indiana in that one, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Razorbacks.
For Darian DeVries, the game also fits into the bigger picture of Indiana’s nonconference profile. In his first season in Bloomington, the Hoosiers went 3-10 in Quadrant 1 games. Because this one is at a neutral site, Arkansas would need to be inside the top 50 in NET for the matchup to count as a Quad 1 game.
The challenge will be shaped by John Calipari’s roster at Arkansas. Calipari, who spent 15 seasons at Kentucky before moving to Fayetteville ahead of the 2024-25 season, has guided the Razorbacks to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in his two seasons there. Arkansas won the 1994 NCAA tournament but has not reached a Final Four since 1995.
The Razorbacks also arrive with a highly regarded recruiting haul. Their 2026 class was ranked No. 1 and was led by 6-foot-2 guard Jordan Smith Jr., the No. 3 player in the country. Arkansas also signed two other five-star prospects in guard JJ Andrews and forward Abdou Toure.
But the roster around that group has changed a lot. Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., who led Arkansas with 23.5 points per game last season, was drafted No. 7 overall by the Sacramento Kings.
The Razorbacks also lost freshman guard Meleek Thomas, graduate senior guard Nick Pringle and senior Trevon Brazile, while sophomore wing Karter Knox and junior guard D.J. Wagner entered the transfer portal.
That leaves now-junior wing Billy Richmond III as Arkansas’ top returner. Richmond averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last season. The Razorbacks also added junior guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, a University of Georgia transfer who averaged a team-high 17.4 points per game last season.
Indiana fans have already gotten a first look at the new roster. The Hoosiers beat Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf 98-64 in an exhibition on June 16, and they are now representing the United States at the FISU America Games from July 20 to Aug. 1 in Lima, Peru.
In Other News...
Power Four Coach Takes Another Shot At Indiana's Rise
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz used his turn at SEC Media Days to take another swipe at the Big Tens non-conference setup, voicing frustration that those teams are not required to line up an autonomous four opponent before league play begins. The comments landed as part scheduling complaint, part broader jab at a conference that has spent the last few years hearing plenty about its football rise, including from programs outside the league that would rather point to the calendar than the scoreboard.
For Indiana fans, the larger point is hard to miss. The Big Ten has had the SECs number in recent postseason matchups and has won the last three national championships, while the SEC has not reached the title game in that span. Even with the conference moving to a nine-game league schedule this season, the argument over strength of schedule is still being settled on the field, and Drinkwitzs latest shot only adds another layer to that familiar debate. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Got Its First Real Freshman Rotation Tease
Indianas exhibition win over Collge Jean-de-Brbeuf offered the first real glimpse of what the backcourt might look like once the games count, and it came from a freshman who wasted little time making himself noticeable. In 17 minutes, he showed the kind of burst and activity that can change the feel of a second unit, mixing playmaking with enough defensive disruption to stand out in a game Indiana controlled from start to finish.
The bigger takeaway for the Hoosiers is how quickly the guard rotation could become interesting if that early showing carries over. With Markus Burton set to handle the lead role, Indiana has been looking for someone to settle in behind him, and this was the kind of debut that at least hints at a freshman ready to claim real minutes. The athleticism was obvious, the pressure on the ball was constant, and the next step is seeing whether that energy translates once the competition stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
New Look Hoosiers Get First Real Test Representing Team USA
Indianas summer basketball trip now has a little more weight to it than a typical tune-up. The Hoosiers are headed to Lima, Peru, where they will represent the United States at the FISU America Games from July 20 through Aug. 1, giving Darian DeVries an early chance to see how a reshaped roster handles real competition together. With a mix of transfers, returning pieces and incoming freshmen, this is less about polishing one lineup and more about learning what the new-look group can become.
The first test comes quickly with group play against host Peru, and the path only gets more interesting from there as Indiana works through the opening round before the elimination stage begins. The roster makeup is part of the intrigue, with several new faces joining the program and a small core of holdovers helping bridge the transition. For a team trying to establish an identity under a new coach, this trip offers a useful first look at chemistry, depth and how much progress has already been made. [Read more 🡒]