Four thoughts following IU basketball’s 2025-26 schedule release

Indiana’s 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule was completed with the release of the Big Ten schedule this afternoon.

Here are four thoughts after examining the full 2025-26 slate for the Hoosiers:

(You can view the complete 2025-26 IU men’s basketball schedule here.)

An opportunity for a strong conference start

The Hoosiers will play their two December Big Ten games against opponents projected to finish near the bottom of the league in preseason projections.

Indiana will play its first true road game against Minnesota on Wednesday, December 3, at Williams Arena. The Gophers underwent an offseason coaching change – Ben Johnson to Niko Medved – and are outside the top 80 nationally in Bart Torvik’s current projections for the 2025-26 season.

Following a Saturday matinee against Louisville on Saturday, December 6, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Hoosiers will return to Bloomington to play Penn State on Tuesday, December 9.

The Nittany Lions are the lowest-ranked Big Ten team in Bart Torvik’s projections for the upcoming season.

It’s an advantageous start to the Big Ten schedule to begin the Darian DeVries era and the Hoosiers need to capitalize.

Hoosiers head to Los Angeles in late January

Indiana’s West Coast Big Ten road trip will come earlier in the schedule than a season ago.

The Hoosiers played at Washington and Oregon in early March last season, splitting the pair of games against the former PAC-12 programs.

This season, Indiana will play two games over four days in Los Angeles beginning on Saturday, January 31.

IU will play UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on the 31st, followed by a two-day break on Sunday and Monday. The Hoosiers will then play USC on Tuesday, February 3, at the Galen Center.

Indiana split its two games against UCLA and USC in Bloomington last season. The Hoosiers beat the Trojans 82-69 and fell 72-68 to the Bruins.

UCLA is in the top tier of Big Ten teams, just below Michigan and Purdue, entering the season. At the same time, USC has NCAA tournament aspirations in year two of the Eric Musselman era.

Non-conference slate has a little bit of everything

The first non-conference schedule for DeVries has a solid mix of games that should prepare the Hoosiers for another rigorous Big Ten race.

Indiana will play neutral court games against Marquette and Louisville in venues that are important for different reasons. The early-season contest against the Golden Eagles in Chicago is at the United Center, the site of the 2026 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament in March.

And the Louisville game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a venue that Indiana likes to visit every season to play a regular-season game in front of its fans in central Indiana. The Hoosiers will also play an exhibition at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against Baylor on Sunday, October 26.

IU will play a true road game in the non-conference (at Kentucky), a home game against a Big 12 opponent (Kansas State) and will have seven opportunities to stack wins in Bloomington with buy games against Alabama A&M, Milwaukee, Incarnate Word, Lindenwood, Bethune-Cookman, Chicago State and Siena.

Nine-game stretch from January 20 through February 20 is daunting

The most challenging portion of IU’s Big Ten schedule begins January 20 against one of the league favorites, Michigan, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Over a nine-game stretch, the Hoosiers will play six contests on the road. None of the games will be easy.

Jan. 20 (Tuesday) – at Michigan
Jan. 23 (Friday) – at Rutgers
Jan. 27 (Tuesday) – Purdue
Jan. 31 (Saturday) – at UCLA
Feb. 3 (Tuesday) – at USC
Feb. 7 (Saturday) – Wisconsin
Feb. 9 (Monday) – Oregon
Feb. 15 (Sunday) – at Illinois
Feb. 20 (Friday) – at Purdue

Outside of Rutgers (and perhaps Wisconsin or Oregon), Indiana is unlikely to be favored in any of these games.

Three or four wins in this stretch would be a stellar performance and this could ultimately be the set of games that determines if DeVries and the Hoosiers reach the NCAA tournament come Selection Sunday.

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2025-26 IU men’s basketball schedule

PRESEASON

Oct. 17 (Friday) – Marian
Oct. 26 (Sunday) – vs. Baylor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

REGULAR SEASON
Nov. 5 (Wednesday) – Alabama A&M
Nov. 9 (Sunday) – Marquette at the United Center
Nov. 12 (Wednesday) – Milwaukee
Nov. 16 (Sunday) – Incarnate Word
Nov. 20 (Thursday) – Lindenwood
Nov. 25 (Tuesday) – Kansas State
Nov. 29 (Saturday) – Bethune-Cookman

Dec. 3 (Wednesday) – at Minnesota
Dec. 6 (Saturday) – Louisville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Dec. 9 (Tuesday) – Penn State
Dec. 13 (Saturday) – at Kentucky
Dec. 20 (Saturday) – Chicago State
Dec. 22 (Monday) – Siena

Jan. 4 (Sunday) – Washington
Jan. 7 (Wednesday) – at Maryland
Jan. 10 (Saturday) – Nebraska
Jan. 13 (Tuesday) – at Michigan State
Jan. 17 (Saturday) – Iowa
Jan. 20 (Tuesday) – at Michigan
Jan. 23 (Friday) – at Rutgers
Jan. 27 (Tuesday) – Purdue
Jan. 31 (Saturday) – at UCLA

Feb. 3 (Tuesday) – at USC
Feb. 7 (Saturday) – Wisconsin
Feb. 9 (Monday) – Oregon
Feb. 15 (Sunday) – at Illinois
Feb. 20 (Friday) – at Purdue
Feb. 24 (Tuesday) – Northwestern

March 1 (Sunday) – Michigan State
March 4 (Wednesday) – Minnesota
March 7 (Saturday) – at Ohio State

2026 BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
March 11-15 (Wednesday-Sunday) – United Center – Chicago

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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