Indiana Bullies the Bulldogs at Hinkle in Exhibition Opener

Written by: TJ Inman

The Indiana Hoosiers began the 2026-2027 season with a successful trip to Indianapolis as they bullied the Butler Bulldogs, controlling the second half and rolling to a 96-68 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse in front a fairly raucous partisan crowd. The Hoosiers made a concerted effort to get bigger in the offseason and that paid immediate dividends as Darian DeVries’ squad outrebounded the hosts 53-33 and racked up an impressive 17 offensive rebounds leading to 25 second-chance points for the evening.

Markus Burton got the action started with nine points before the first media timeout and led Indiana with 13 points in the first half but he battled foul trouble and was limited to just 15 minutes. IU’s new point guard was far from the only Hoosier in that situation as Jaeden Mustaf, Bryce Lindsay and Aiden Sherrell all saw time on the bench with three or more fouls. That just provided an opportunity for some depth to step up for the Hoosiers and players like Trevor Manhertz, Sam Alexis and Trent Sisley keyed a 14-1 run early in the second half that shifted a narrow Indiana lead to a blowout. Once Indiana seized control, they did not let up as they silenced the remaining Butler fans.

Darren Harris had a nice evening, scoring 13 points with three made triples. Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell struggled to find his shooting touch but led the way on the boards with 9 as well as 10 points in just 21 minutes. It was a balanced effort for Indiana as nine different players had at least six points with four Hoosiers reaching double-figures but none exceeding 13.

After a very competitive first half, Indiana was far superior to the Big East foe in the second half. The Hoosiers outscored Butler 52-27 in the second 20 minutes. Butler led for only 58 seconds of the game and once IU took the lead, they never surrendered it. The Hoosiers next take the court for a clash with the North Carolina Tar Heels next Sunday.