Indiana basketball finally gets the games that count Monday night, and the first test comes at home against Eastern Illinois.
The Hoosiers open their 2026-27 regular season at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, kicking off Darian DeVries’ second year in charge with a roster that looks very different and a preseason that gave Indiana plenty to like. The Hoosiers went 3-0 in exhibition play, and now they get to see if that momentum carries over once the results start counting.
Eastern Illinois arrives with its own reset in motion. Marty Simmons is entering his sixth season as the Panthers’ coach, and his team brings a completely new starting five after replacing all five starters from last year’s 13-20 squad.
Here’s the setup for Monday’s opener:
Who: Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois
When: 7 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov.
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Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
TV: Big Ten Plus; Ian Plaskoff (play-by-play), Ryan LaPedis (analyst), Kelsea Wilson (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network; Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst)
Monday’s game will stream exclusively on Big Ten Plus, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service.
Indiana has handled this matchup every time out so far, winning all three previous meetings with Eastern Illinois by an average of nearly 38 points. The teams first met in the opening round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, when Alan Henderson posted 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-55 Hoosiers win. Their latest meeting came on Nov. 10, 2024, when Indiana rolled to a 90-55 victory in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have also made a habit of taking care of business in their own building. Since Assembly Hall opened in 1971, Indiana is 52-3 in home openers. The program has won eight straight such games, and DeVries brings his own spotless track record into Monday at 8-0 in career home openers.
The preseason pointed to a few things worth watching once the season begins for real. Indiana’s work on the boards stood out most, with DeVries emphasizing rebounding during the offseason and the team consistently generating second-chance looks while keeping opponents to one shot.
Now comes the harder part: proving that edge shows up every night.
The other big question is how the rotation settles in. Bryce Lindsay has flashed as a scoring option off the bench, and freshman Trevor Manhertz turned in an encouraging preseason, giving DeVries some real choices as he starts to sort out roles.
Indiana has shown what it might be capable of. Monday is the first chance to turn that into something concrete.
In Other News...
Indiana Heads Into USC Prep With Serious Injury Questions
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The list grew from there, with quarterback Josh Hoover getting replaced in the second half after taking a hard hit, running back Turbo Richard leaving with a shoulder injury and cornerback A.J. Harris hurt late before limping off the field. With a bye week ahead before USC comes to town, Indiana has some much-needed time to sort through the health of a roster that suddenly has several important questions hanging over it. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Stayed Unbeaten But Exposed A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Indiana escaped Minnesota 23-16 in overtime in a game that felt far more precarious than the record suggests, surviving a wild finish after both teams drilled 60-yard field goals in the final 22 seconds of regulation. The Hoosiers still found a way to win behind a defense that kept bending without breaking, with Lee Beebe Jr. and Nick Marsh among the players helping steady things when the game tightened late.
Josh Hoovers health concerns forced a halftime change to Grant Wilson, and the quarterback shuffle only sharpened the bigger question hanging over Indianas unbeaten start. The Hoosiers have shown they can win in different ways, but this one also made clear how fragile the offense can look when the plan gets disrupted, leaving plenty for fans to monitor even after the victory. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Escaped Minnesota But A Bigger Question Just Took Over
Indianas overtime escape at Minnesota had all the ingredients of a Big Ten survival test, from the late drama to the kind of kicking display that can turn a routine finish into a stadium-wide gasp. Both teams traded 60-yard field goals in the final seconds of regulation, then Indiana struck immediately in overtime with a touchdown before holding Minnesota near the goal line to close it out and move to 8-1.
Josh Hoovers night, though, is the part that lingers beyond the final score. He was replaced at halftime because of injury and ineffective play, and the way Indiana navigated the second half only sharpened the question of what comes next at quarterback. For a team still pushing through the heart of its season, the win was huge, but the uncertainty under center may end up mattering just as much. [Read more 🡒]