6-Banner Sunday: IU basketball to play Syracuse next season in Indianapolis

• Staff

• 6h ago

 

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, where we highlight the five most essential IU sports stories of the past week. 6-Banner Sunday is written by Ari Shifron.

IU announced another high-major non-conference game in Indianapolis for next fall. This matchup was revealed as the roster for next season is in the very early stages of taking shape.

Additionally, the national championship game is set and spring football continues. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by baseball getting back in the win column.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• IU adds non-conference matchup against Syracuse in Indianapolis
• Where the roster stands for IU basketball
• NCAA tournament results
• Spring practice continues for IU football
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup

Banner #1 – IU adds non-conference matchup against Syracuse in Indianapolis

As IU looks to next season, a major piece of the non-conference schedule was revealed this week. It was already known that the Hoosiers would face Kentucky in Indianapolis next season.

While that matchup will be in Lucas Oil stadium with a truly neutral atmosphere, Indiana will have a de facto home game against Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 9. The contest is a rematch of the 1987 NCAA championship, IU’s last title to date, as well as the 2013 Sweet Sixteen, when the Orange knocked out an elite Hoosier team that was a one seed.

Syracuse will be coached by Gerry McNamara, a program legend who will debut next season after recent struggles following Jim Boeheim’s retirement. McNamara arrives from Siena, which made the NCAA tournament this season. The Orange are coming off a 15-17 season and have not made the NCAA tournament since 2021.

Banner #2 – Where the roster stands for IU basketball

The Hoosiers will look to build a stronger roster that can better compete in the Big Ten in 2026-2027 under second-year head coach Darian DeVries. IU has seven players eligible to return, but only three of them (Nick Dorn, Jasai Miles, and Trent Sisley) saw time in the rotation this season. Of these, Sisley announced this week he will be back in Bloomington for his sophomore season, while the other two’s plans remain unclear at this moment.

Of the remaining guys with eligibility, Aleksa Ristic was the only other guy with eligibility to see minutes last season and it was only very sparingly. The other three bodies who can return to the program were injured or redshirting in Andrej Acimovic, Jason Drake and Josh Harris. Other than Drake, who announced this week that he will enter his name in the transfer portal, what happens with these remaining guys remains to be seen.

The other three players who will definitely be on the roster besides Sisley are incoming freshman Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz and Prince-Alexander Moody. Given the losses of their top rotational guys, IU will almost certainly need to fill several spots via the transfer portal with immediate-impact players. The Hoosiers are from alone here, however, and the portal opens this Tuesday officially.

Turning to the women’s side, there is a lot more clarity for Indiana here. While the Hoosiers have lost several players to the portal, including promising freshman Nevaeh Caffey, the return of three starters was confirmed. This includes Maya Makalusky, Zania Socka-Nguemen, and Lenee Beaumont, who are all key pieces going forward.

The program also brings in an elite recruiting class that includes what were the two highest-ranked recruits in program history until this week. This is because IU just received a commitment from an ever higher ranked prospect for 2027 in Finley Parker. 

Banner #3 – NCAA tournament results

The NCAA tournament continued with the Final Four. With NIL seemingly widening the gap between mid-major and power five teams, the competition has featured fewer upsets than usual.

However, there have still been some great games. Despite the Hoosiers not being a part of it, the Big Ten sent nine teams to the dance and six of them made the Sweet Sixteen, with four advancing to the Elite Eight and two to the Final Four.

The Final Four teams from the conference were Michigan and Illinois. While the Illini were knocked out by Connecticut, the Wolverines dominated Arizona. The two winners will play for the national championship in a game that could have Indiana fans wondering what might have been in an alternate universe.

This is because the Huskies have Hoosier native Braylon Mullins playing a key role and IU was a finalist for his services. Also, Michigan is coached by former IU manager Dusty May.

The Big Ten will look to end long national title droughts in both men’s and women’s basketball in the next couple of days, though. UCLA will face South Carolina for the women’s championship this afternoon, while the Wolverines will take on Connecticut tomorrow night.

Banner #4 – Spring practice continues for IU football

Spring football is just beginning for IU. The Hoosiers are back on the field practicing now and looking to defend their national championship. Several players and coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media after a practice this week.

Banner #5 – Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows

Inside the Hall’s Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, Alex Bozich was joined by Rick Bozich to discuss previous Final Fours as well as some IU basketball talk.

The Back Home Network also has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup

• Baseball finally ended a long losing streak by dominating Rutgers on Friday Night. However, in between that, Nebraska finished a sweep of IU, while the Hoosiers also fell to Evansville and the Scarlet Knights with late collapses. In non-game news, one of Indiana’s games at Northwestern next month was moved to Wrigley Field.

• Women’s tennis beat Rutgers but fell to Nebraska.

• Softball gave elite UCLA a scare before losing twice.

• Men’s tennis lost to top-flight Illinois.

• Water Polo fell to elite Arizona State and Michigan.

• Women’s golf finished third at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.

• Men’s golf competed at the Butler Spring Invitational.

• Track and Field competed in the Battle of the Bayou.

• Rowing took part in the Ohio State Regatta.

• Volleyball will take part in the newly created Big Ten vs. SEC Challenge. The program also put season tickets on sale for next fall.

• Finally, women’s basketball assistant coach Rhett Wierzba received an honor.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-Banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

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