College basketball’s December schedule could use more games like the one Missouri and Indiana are reportedly putting together.
According to multiple reports, including Jon Rothstein, the Tigers and Hoosiers are finalizing a one-game meeting in Bloomington on Dec. 18, with no return trip to Columbia included in the agreement. It’s a single nonconference date, but it carries more weight than the usual December filler.
Missouri’s move fits the direction Dennis Gates has been pushing. For a while, the Tigers leaned toward a softer nonconference slate, which made sense when simply reaching the NCAA Tournament was the main objective.
That approach looks a lot different now. Gates said earlier this offseason that Missouri needed a stronger résumé with the NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 teams, and the schedule is starting to reflect that mindset.
The reported Indiana game would add another major test to a nonconference lineup that already looks loaded. Missouri is also set to face Kansas, Illinois, Marquette, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Saint Louis. That’s a serious climb from the kind of schedule the Tigers played in previous seasons, and it should leave them far more prepared once SEC play arrives.
Indiana has plenty riding on the matchup too. Darian DeVries is entering his second season with a Hoosiers program that went 18-14 and missed the NCAA Tournament last year. Indiana has gone back to the transfer portal to reshape the roster, and every chance to collect a quality win matters before Big Ten play takes over.
There will be debate about whether Missouri carries enough national value to become a marquee win. That conversation can wait until March. Right now, the appeal is simpler: two high-major programs willing to meet in a real game instead of padding the schedule with a December buy game.
The history adds a little more juice. Missouri and Indiana haven’t played since 2004, when the Tigers won 56-53 in Columbia. The series is dead even at 9-9 across 18 all-time meetings, so while this isn’t a classic rivalry, there’s still enough shared history to make the matchup feel meaningful.
In a sport where old series disappear all the time, this is the kind of game that stands out. Missouri is trying to prove it belongs back in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Indiana is trying to get back there after missing out. Both teams have something to gain, and both have something to lose.
That’s the kind of December basketball fans should want more often. If this agreement becomes official, Dec. 18 suddenly looks like one of the more interesting nonconference dates on the 2026-27 calendar.
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