The Big Ten released the opponent draw for the 2026-2027 men's basketball season. Indiana's draw is as follows:
Home Only
Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Away Only
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin
Home and Away
Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue
To be blunt, this is a fantastic draw for DeVries and the Hoosiers. No game at Champaign, Ann Arbor, East Lansing or Columbus is VERY fortunate. They get two chances to finally beat Northwestern and Maryland is not a bad opponent for the second double-play team. The West Coast trip is to Washington and Oregon instead of playing at USC and UCLA. It's a very strong slate of home games that should present some real opportunities for Q1 wins in Assembly Hall.
Love the schedule. We can definitely beat IL, UM, and MSU in a rocking Assembly Hall. Honestly not a single game on the schedule I would say is unwinnable. We had a bunch of those last season.
It would be very difficult to hand pick an easier schedule. Wow.
Nebraska is the only away game where you feel confident they will be a top third B1G team.
It could not getting any easier if they tried. Wow. There is really no reason this team should not go like 14-6 or 15-5 when looking at that schedule. 11-9 would not be very impressive.
Adding a note to this thread...there is a rumor of a new NIL event/non-conference tournament that is being formed to begin in the 2027-2028 season:
Schools potentially involved include: IU, Gonzaga, UNC, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Arizona.
If there are any additional details that I hear, I'll add to this rumor.
Wow, it's almost as if DeVries and his staff drew up the schedule. Anything less than 14 wins would be very disappointing.
Wow, it's almost as if DeVries and his staff drew up the schedule. Anything less than 14 wins would be very disappointing.
100% he could not have asked for a better schedule period. 14 wins should be the minimum and only 11 or 12 would be pretty disappointing with that schedule.
Here is the rumor I mentioned earlier today: Kentucky, UNC, Kansas, Michigan, UConn involved in discussions with new blue-blood college basketball event - CBS Sports
With only two "name brand" non-con opponents as of now--Syracuse and Kentucky, only one of which should be ranked--IU might have the easiest schedule of any B1G team ... on paper. Of course, there will be teams better and worse than expected, but this seems like a schedule made in basketball heaven.
With only two "name brand" non-con opponents as of now--Syracuse and Kentucky, only one of which should be ranked--IU might have the easiest schedule of any B1G team ... on paper. Of course, there will be teams better and worse than expected, but this seems like a schedule made in basketball heaven.
Given the schedules there are really no excuses other than major injuries this team should not be like 25 - 7 headed into the big ten tourney.
@arioznahoosier4554 There's no question, that looking at it today, that the regular season schedule is pretty soft. But setting the expectation at 25 regular season wins??
Its an interesting number to use. When you think of 12 non conf games, and the only obvious big name opponents being Kentucky and Syracuse... 10+ non conf wins should be relatively easy. And then the B10 slate, on paper, looks very manageable. So 14-15 wins shouldn't be unrealistic.
But man, winning 25 regular season games is hard to do... In fact, looks like since the 76 team... IU basketball has had 25 regular season wins all of four times? And those teams were 89 team, 91 team, 93 team, and the 13 team. Obviously some very accomplished teams outside those teams, including 2 natty winners. And I'm sure one of the main reasons is tougher relative competition... but setting any sort of actual expectation for this years team at 25 wins... while the numbers can be explained and kinda make sense... history says winning 25 regular season games is probably unlikely, no matter how much better we are.
@arioznahoosier4554 There's no question, that looking at it today, that the regular season schedule is pretty soft. But setting the expectation at 25 regular season wins??
Its an interesting number to use. When you think of 12 non conf games, and the only obvious big name opponents being Kentucky and Syracuse... 10+ non conf wins should be relatively easy. And then the B10 slate, on paper, looks very manageable. So 14-15 wins shouldn't be unrealistic.
But man, winning 25 regular season games is hard to do... In fact, looks like since the 76 team... IU basketball has had 25 regular season wins all of four times? And those teams were 89 team, 91 team, 93 team, and the 13 team. Obviously some very accomplished teams outside those teams, including 2 natty winners. And I'm sure one of the main reasons is tougher relative competition... but setting any sort of actual expectation for this years team at 25 wins... while the numbers can be explained and kinda make sense... history says winning 25 regular season games is probably unlikely, no matter how much better we are.
If this portal class is as good as the rankings claim it is 25 wins should not be unrealistic at all. Going 14-6 in the big ten and 11-1 in the preseason should not be unrealistic. The preseason schedules so far looks pretty darn easy and we have if not the easiest one of the easiest big ten schedules. The class is very hyed up so why do the expectations need to not be high?
@arioznahoosier4554 I know... it does seem realistic. And as our man Cig would say, we shouldn't have self imposed limitations. But man, expecting something to be done that's only been done 4 times in 50 years... with half those years coming under the best coach in college basketball history... Its a bit much.
I think comfortably making the NCAAs (4-7 seed maybe), competing with the top 1/3 of the conference, and playing well in March and winning some post season games, is about as realistic an expectation as I can have, right now. And when I say expectation... I say that should start to become our "floor". With more years than not, a fair bit better than that.
@arioznahoosier4554 I know... it does seem realistic. And as our man Cig would say, we shouldn't have self imposed limitations. But man, expecting something to be done that's only been done 4 times in 50 years... with half those years coming under the best coach in college basketball history... Its a bit much.
I think comfortably making the NCAAs (4-7 seed maybe), competing with the top 1/3 of the conference, and playing well in March and winning some post season games, is about as realistic an expectation as I can have, right now. And when I say expectation... I say that should start to become our "floor". With more years than not, a fair bit better than that.
And that is the whole problem with this program we spend 20 million to get a top two portal class and a 7 seed should be the expectation. Its why I am not even close to as invested in this program as I used to be.
@arioznahoosier4554 We probably see "expectations" a little differently. I do expect to be a program that gets back to having 25+ win type seasons, every few years. Using the last 50 probably isn't a fair measure... RMK did it 5-6 times in his close to 30 year career at IU, with a couple others that were close, obviously with great postseason runs... so I think getting back to being a program that has a 25 win type season every 3 years or so, is a viable expectation. Just seems like actually expecting it from CDD, in his 2nd year... combined with your posting history... might be setting him up for failure. 23-9, (13-7), 5-6 seed in the NCAAs, a couple BTT wins, and a win or two in the NCAAs, is NOT any sort of failure for CDD, this roster, or the program. As an example of a potential sub 25 win season. If, however, CDD has that season for the next 5 years, with nothing better, THEN, yes, not good enough.