Indiana’s non-conference home schedule picked up a notable piece this week, and it’s the kind of matchup Hoosier fans have been asking for.
Jon Rothstein reported that IU will host Missouri in Assembly Hall on December 18. It’s not Syracuse or Kentucky, the two name-brand games set for Indianapolis on neutral courts, but it still gives Indiana a power-conference opponent at home.
Missouri is coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and is ranked inside the top 40 for the upcoming season, according to Bart Torvik. The report also said there will be no return game in Columbia.
It will be the first meeting between the teams in 22 years.
Elsewhere, IU is still getting ready for its summer trip to Peru as part of the FISU American Games. This week also brought a look at the uniforms the Hoosiers will wear while representing the United States.
Practice has continued, and Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell said he is looking forward to competing. Sherrell spoke with the media at practice, along with incoming freshman Trevor Manhertz and SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu.
Head coach Darian DeVries also spoke with Andy Katz.
On the football side, the preseason buzz keeps building. Indiana is coming off its national championship last winter, a run that included star quarterback Fernando Mendoza being honored by the Big Ten as the male athlete of the year.
ESPN’s FPI has the Hoosiers sixth nationally heading into the fall. Inside the Hall’s Ian Plaskoff continued his position-by-position previews this week, focusing on special teams, cornerbacks, and safeties.
A handful of recent IU players are also getting their shot in NBA Summer League. Sam Alexis, Reed Bailey, Tucker DeVries, Luke Goode, and Lamar Wilkerson landed opportunities with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Thunder, respectively.
So far, minutes have been hard to come by. Goode has seen the most action, debuting in the Lakers’ second game with three points before following that with nine points in the next one.
He also played late Saturday night and finished scoreless in 10 minutes. Wilkerson scored two points off the bench in his first game and has not appeared since.
Alexis made his first appearance against the Jazz and scored a couple of points, while DeVries and Bailey have yet to play.
The Back Home Network also had several shows on air this week, and the broader IU sports scene kept moving. Women’s golf added an assistant coach, baseball’s Hogan Denny made the USA Collegiate national team, volleyball had a player earn a spot in the U22 European championships, former soccer standout Daniel Munie was named to the MLS All-Star roster, field hockey signed a pair of future recruits, track and field will have athletes in summer competition, and two Hoosiers received the conference’s Sportsmanship Award.
In Other News...
Indiana Basketball Unveils A Bold New Look For Team USA Trip
Indianas offseason has taken on a different look under Darian DeVries, and the latest wrinkle comes with a patriotic twist. The Hoosiers are headed to Lima, Peru, for the International University Sports Federation America Games from July 20 to Aug. 1, where theyll represent the United States in a run of exhibition and pool play that offers a rare chance to see the group together before the 2026-27 season.
Along with the international stage, Indiana is bringing special USA-themed uniforms built around red, white and blue, a fitting touch for a team trying to establish an identity quickly. The trip also gives DeVries and a largely rebuilt roster time to start building chemistry, with only one returning player from last season, and the matchups against Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Peru should provide an early test of how far that process has come. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Landed A December Test That Could Matter In March
A December nonconference date can carry a lot more weight than it first appears, and Indiana is lining up one that should offer a useful early measuring stick. Missouri and Indiana are reportedly finalizing a game for Dec. 18, 2026, in Bloomington, a one-off setup with no return trip to Columbia, and it would be the first time the programs have met since 2004.
For Indiana, the appeal is obvious under Darian DeVries after last season ended without a postseason bid. Games like this can help shape an NCAA Tournament rsum, especially when the opponent is willing to challenge itself the way Missouri has under Dennis Gates, with a nonconference slate built to be demanding from top to bottom. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Lost A Major 4-Star Battle That Really Stings
A key Midwest recruiting swing slipped away from Indiana as the Hoosiers watched one of the regions top defensive prospects come off the board in the 2027 class. The loss matters because Indiana has been trying to build real momentum on the trail, and this was the kind of battle that can help define whether the class keeps climbing or stalls out against the bigger brands circling the same prospects.
Indiana still has a respectable foundation in place with 16 commits and several blue-chip names already in the mix, but the margin for error gets thinner when elite targets start choosing elsewhere. The Hoosiers are also still waiting on a major decision at receiver, and how that unfolds will say plenty about whether this class can still land a headline addition after missing on a linebacker it badly wanted. [Read more 🡒]