Indiana Basketball 2026-27 Schedule: Kentucky, Arkansas, Purdue & Big Ten Tests
32:56 · CrimsonCast · 2026-09-21
The full Indiana basketball 2026-27 schedule is out, and it gives Darren DeVries and the Hoosiers something they badly need: meaningful résumé opportunities without an overwhelmingly difficult path. Galen Clavio and Scott Caulfield break down IU’s nonconference slate, the Big Ten schedule, the toughest stretches and what Indiana will need to do to get comfortably back into the NCAA Tournament. The nonconference schedule is a major improvement. Kentucky is back, Arkansas awaits at Madison Square Garden, Syracuse provides another ACC opponent, and Indiana also gets power-conference games against UCF and Missouri. Rather than putting the entire résumé on one massive early-season matchup, IU has multiple opportunities to build a tournament case throughout November and December. Then comes the Big Ten. Indiana opens conference play with Rutgers at Assembly Hall and a trip to Iowa before moving into a January stretch featuring USC, Oregon, Washington, Michigan and more. Galen and Scott discuss why the schedule looks manageable on paper — but also why Indiana’s recent history makes it dangerous to assume the Hoosiers will simply bank every game they are supposed to win. A major theme is home-court performance. Indiana gets several of its more difficult opponents at Assembly Hall, including Michigan, Illinois, UCLA and Purdue. If this team wants to move beyond the NCAA Tournament bubble and become a legitimate upper-half Big Ten team, those home games have to become an advantage again. The guys also dig into the current Bart Torvik projections, which see Indiana as a tournament-level team but show just how many close games could determine the season. Galen argues that this year's group needs to learn how to "exceed the median" rather than continually hovering around .500 in Big Ten play. What would a successful regular season look like? Galen sees a path to roughly 23 wins if Indiana lives up to its talent level and takes care of business during the softer sections of the schedule. Scott agrees that the opportunity is there — but the Hoosiers have to stop turning projected wins into coin flips. And basketball is coming quickly. Indiana's exhibition schedule begins in October, meaning football season will still be in full swing when the first real look at DeVries' second IU team arrives. Subscribe to the Back Home Network for more CrimsonCast and Assembly Call coverage of Indiana basketball, IU football and Hoosier athletics throughout the season.