Indiana’s non-conference schedule keeps getting more loaded, and the latest addition only raises the temperature.
The Hoosiers will host UCF at Assembly Hall on Saturday, December 12, giving Darian DeVries another notable test in a stretch that already includes Syracuse, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri. With that announcement, Indiana now knows 30 of its 32 opponents for the upcoming season.
The timing matters, too. Indiana is trying to build toward a much stronger 2026-27 after finishing 18-14 in Year 1 and missing the NCAA Tournament.
DeVries has reason to feel better about the roster on paper: a Top-10 transfer portal class, a promising freshman group, and returners Trent Sisley and Sam Alexis give the Hoosiers a deeper look than they had a year ago. But the schedule won’t give them much room to settle in.
Before the regular season begins, Indiana has already played in the FISU America Games this summer and has three exhibitions lined up: Butler on October 11, North Carolina on October 18, and Western Kentucky on October 25.
The UCF game stands out as one of the more intriguing dates on the calendar because the Knights are coming off a 21-win season and an NCAA Tournament berth. Johnny Dawkins’ team earned a No. 10 seed before falling to UCLA in the Round of 64. Dawkins is entering his fourth season in Orlando with an overall record of 189-132 (.589).
There’s also a roster wrinkle that makes this matchup even more interesting. Both teams have been heavily reshaped through the transfer portal.
Indiana added seven transfer players, and six of them bring multiple years of high-major experience. UCF brought in five transfers who each averaged double-digit points per game last season.
By the time these teams meet in mid-December, the bigger question may not be talent - it’ll be how quickly all those new pieces click.
Indiana’s top returning scorer is Sisley, who averaged 4.2 points per game as a freshman last season. UCF’s leading returning scorer is center Jon Bol, who averaged 5.9 points per game.
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