Indiana’s complete schedule for the 2025-2026 season has been announced. The Hoosiers will open the exhibition season in less than one month with a clash against Marian on Friday, October 17 at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers will then play Baylor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday, October 26. The regular season begins on Wednesday, November 5 against Alabama A&M. Big Ten play is set to begin on December 3 with a game at Minnesota and on December 9 against Penn State. The full grind of the Big Ten begins on January 4 with a home game against Washington and concludes on March 7 against Ohio State in Columbus.
Initial Observations
-Tough December Stretch-
The Indiana Hoosiers finish November with a game against Bethune-Cookman on the 29th before entering a very difficult stretch to begin December. IU is at Minnesota on December 3, versus the Louisville Cardinals on December 6 in Indianapolis, against Penn State in Bloomington on December 9 and then at Kentucky on December 13. That’s four straight games against power conference teams with three of those contests coming away from Bloomington.
-Lack of Weekend Home Games-
After the December 20 game against Chicago State, the Indiana Hoosiers only have five weekend home games for the rest of the season. That’s a low number and could make it quite difficult for out-of-town fans to make the trek to Bloomington for a regular season game at Assembly Hall. If IU is good, Assembly Hall will be rocking, no matter what day the games are on but it would be preferable if the Hoosiers played a few more weekend home games.
-Potentially Good Start to B1G Season-
The Indiana Hoosiers should, at least on paper, have a good chance to get off to a solid start in the Big Ten. They play a very winnable game at Minnesota and then take on a rebuilding Penn State team in Bloomington. The calendar turns to 2026 and the Hoosiers get Washington, Maryland and Nebraska in the next three games. On paper, that’s a chance to start 4-1 or possibly even 5-0 with an upset win in College Park.
-Brutal Midseason Stretch-
The same cannot be said from January 13 to February 20. During that stretch, IU plays at Michigan State, Michigan, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Illinois and Purdue and they’ll likely be underdogs in each contest. The Hoosiers also have home games against Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin and Oregon. Splitting that portion of the schedule seems like an optimistic goal.