Year 2 under Darian DeVries is starting to take shape for Indiana basketball, and the early outline of the 2026-27 season gives the Hoosiers a chance to build something better than last year’s finish.
Indiana already has one exhibition in the books after beating Canada’s Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 98-64, on July 15 at Assembly Hall. The team is also in Peru right now for the FISU America Games, where it is representing Team USA and will play Argentina, Peru, and Brazil in pool play from July 20-August 1. That stretch should give this reworked roster plenty of time to grow together before the real games start.
The exhibition calendar keeps rolling once the team comes back to the U.S. Indiana is set to face North Carolina on October 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, then play Evansville on October 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville.
The non-conference schedule is already giving Indiana a real test. The Hoosiers will see Eastern Illinois on November 2, Bellarmine on November 5, Syracuse on November 9 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Arkansas on November 17 at Madison Square Garden, Kentucky on November 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bowling Green on November 27, and Missouri on December 18, though that game has not been officially announced.
That mix stands out because of the four high-major opponents on the slate: Syracuse, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri. It’s a non-conference schedule that should tell a lot about where Indiana stands before Big Ten play begins.
The conference picture is less complete on dates, but the opponents are known. Indiana’s away-only Big Ten trips will be to Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, and Wisconsin.
There’s also a pretty workable path at home. Indiana gets Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State in Bloomington, while Maryland, Northwestern, and Purdue are the home-and-away series opponents. That setup gives the Hoosiers a real chance to make noise if they take advantage of it.
Last season, Indiana went 9-11 in Big Ten play and landed as the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. For DeVries, the mission is clear: improve that conference record, climb the standings, and get the program back to the NCAA Tournament.
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 🡒]