IU basketball opens exhibition play Sunday evening against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. ET on WISH-TV in Indianapolis and streams free on WISHTV.com.
Here’s what to watch for when the Hoosiers and Bulldogs tip off exhibition play:
A more athletic, talented roster from top to bottom
One of the biggest differences IU fans should notice right away when the Hoosiers open exhibition play is the roster upgrades.
Darian DeVries and the Hoosier coaching staff did a lot of work in the transfer portal to build a roster capable of winning more consistently this winter.
While the roster has already been on display multiple times this offseason, IU played an exhibition game in Bloomington in July and also competed in the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru. Sunday night will be the first test against a Division I opponent. And it’s on the road in what should be an outstanding atmosphere.
The Hoosiers played without Jaeden Mustaf and Sam Alexis in the July exhibition game and without Samet Yigitoglu in Peru.
Barring any unforeseen absences on Sunday, it will be the first extended look at the 2026-27 roster with all players on the floor for 40 minutes.
On paper, Indiana is more athletic, more talented and deeper than a season ago. The addition of Alexis has shored up its biggest question mark from the summer, which is front court depth.
Drawing conclusions about how the 2026-27 season will play out based on Sunday night isn’t advisable, but it will offer a first look at the progress this group has made since July, with the season opener less than a month away.
How will the new look frontcourt fit together?
This will be the second time Sherrell and Yigitoglu suit up together as teammates for the Hoosiers.
The duo played in the July exhibition in Bloomington, but have now had more time to learn each other’s games and tendencies.
With Indiana planning to start Sherrell at four, a change from his role last season at Alabama, and the 7-foot-2 Yigitoglu at five, DeVries no longer lacks size in the post as he did in year one of his tenure.
Sherrell is confident operating away from the basket and has also shown he can shoot from the perimeter. He can also be physically dominant and finish plays at the rim with authority.
What bears watching, however, is how Sherrell defends when his man forces him to guard away from the basket.
Yigitoglu is the projected starter at five, but adding Alexis to the roster gives DeVries and the IU staff more lineup flexibility. Yigitoglu has been foul-prone in the past and won’t play more than 28 to 30 minutes per game. Alexis, an experienced and extremely efficient backup, gives the Hoosiers one of the best backup bigs in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers also expect contributions from Trent Sisley, a year older with a season of experience in the system. Trevor Manhertz, now listed at 6-foot-9, could earn minutes if he shoots well from the perimeter.
After a season when Indiana often lacked depth and options, the Hoosiers are now better equipped, on paper, to have the front-court advantage most nights.
“We just have more girth, more size, more physicality on the interior at multiple positions,” DeVries said at Big Ten media day on Thursday. “We’re a little smaller at the one and two, but from the three, four and five, we get very long and very big, very fast.”
Markus Burton’s first chance to show the point guard position is solidified
One of Indiana’s biggest issues last winter was its point guard play.
The Hoosiers hope adding Markus Burton from Notre Dame will bring consistent production at the position.
Burton collected plenty of individual accolades over three seasons in South Bend. He now wants to prove he can lead a winning program.
Burton’s challenge will be balancing scoring and distributing. He was a prolific scorer at Notre Dame, but Indiana won’t need him to carry the scoring load all the time.
The Hoosiers need a leader who can run the offense, facilitate for others and set the tone and the pace. Burton can do all of that, but it may take time for him to adjust to a new role and new teammates.
Fortunately for Burton and the coaching staff, he has an experienced backcourt cast who should ease his transition into the new role.
“I’ve had all the accolades. I’ve done everything in my past college career”, Burton said at Big Ten media day. “Now it’s just more about just being a better version of myself and just enjoying this time in college and having fun with it. We have a lot of guys that can go get 30. So it’s gonna be hard for a team to adapt and be able to game plan for us.”
