What: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Baylor Bears
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Sunday, October 26 at 1:00 pm
How to Watch: The game will be streaming on B1G+
Opponent Glance: Sunday’s clash against IU will be Baylor’s second exhibition game. They tipped off the season with a 79-74 victory in Waco over the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Grand Canyon is one of the top programs in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and they are coached by Bryce Drew, the younger brother of Baylor head coach Scott Drew. Cameron Carr, a transfer from Tennessee, had 20 points and Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. Five-star freshman Tounde Yessoufou led the team with five three-pointers and 21 points in 33 minutes. The Bears return exactly zero points from last season’s squad as Scott Drew entirely flipped the roster.
CBS Sports has Baylor projected to finish 7th in the Big 12 although making any predictions on a team with a completely new roster is extremely difficult. Baylor is expected to start projected first round NBA Draft pick Tounde Yessoufou (6’5”), Cameron Carr (6’5”), Dan Skillings Jr. (6’6”), Obi Agbim (6’3”) and Michael Rataj (6’8”) with Caden Powell (6’9”), Isaac Williams (6’1”) and Mayo Soyoye (6’10”) expected to be in the rotation.
What to Watch For
- Style of Play
The most discussed storyline of the offseason has been the expected change in how the Indiana Hoosiers are going to play. In short, the sport being played is still basketball but the plan of attack is a near polar-opposite of what Indiana fans saw from Mike Woodson’s teams. Instead of two big men patrolling the paint and a team that rarely shot three-pointers, new head coach Darian DeVries’ team is going to start most possessions without a single player in the lane. Indiana was near the bottom of the country in three-pointers attempted in 2024 but the new roster and new philosophy were on display on Friday night as Indiana attempted 30 three-pointers despite regular rotation players sitting the remainder of the second half. The Hoosiers did not even attempt a two-point shot outside of the paint until late in the game when a walk-on shot a floater just outside of the lane. Sweeping conclusions should not be made from one night of observation but for context, no power conference team shot more three-pointers than Illinois last season (30.1 per game). How will the style of play look against a team with similar-sized athletes? Baylor only allowed Grand Canyon to make 4 of 18 triples in their exhibition opener.
2. New Faces
Both Indiana and Baylor have entirely new rosters. Scott Drew returns zero points from the 2024-2025 roster and the complete overhaul of IU’s roster under new head coach Darian DeVries has been well-covered by every IU media outlet. This game serves as an early measuring stick for both teams but it should not be used as anything more than the exhibition game that it is.
3. Work in Progress
The primary concern for Indiana’s coaching staff heading into the season is undoubtedly the lack of a true rim protector and the impact that could have on IU’s ability to have a strong defense. Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis are capable defenders but it would be inaccurate to describe either of them as above-average shot blockers. Indiana’s defensive activity against Marian was encouraging and the Hoosiers had six steals and seven blocks as they limited the Knights to just 29.3% from the field and only 46 points overall. Baylor’s offense will be significantly more difficult to slow down and it will be very interesting to see if IU’s defense is up to the challenge of slowing them down.