Indiana men's basketball's non-conference schedule is officially here and, well, these are certainly games they're gonna play.
I'll just be blunt right out of the gate here: we're entering just about the third season in a row where Indiana's non-conference performance will be judged largely on how it responds to a few power conference opponents and if it can avoid disaster in the buy game portion. That's not fun.
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Is this schedule bad? No, not at all. Is it good? Kinda? Maybe. It's just not what you'd like to see from a program with the stature of Indiana coming off of a massive offseason.
Indiana will face five high-major opponents this season, three of which will be away from Assembly Hall and none of which are true road contests. The best home games are contests against an inconsistent Missouri program and UCF. Alright.
Aside from that, the Hoosiers will face a smattering of mid to low-majors. Which happens every year, but is easier to stomach when there's a bit more meat on the bone.
Here's a few thoughts on each matchup:
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vs Eastern Illinois (Monday, Nov. 2)
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Hasn't finished over 300th in KenPom since 2019-20. Worth a tune-up.
vs Bellarmine (Thursday, Nov. 5)
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Has sort of fallen off after a decent start to the NCAA Division-I transition. Doug Davenport took over for his father Scott in 2025-26 and led the Knights to a 13-19 record in his debut after a paltry 5-26 finish in 2024-25.
vs Syracuse (Monday, Nov. 9) – Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
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Syracuse moved on from Adrian Autry last offseason and welcomed Gerry McNamara home after the latter's two-year stint at Siena ended with a first round grindfest loss as a No. 16-seed against Duke. McNamara's Saints took the Blue Devils down to the wire and made them work for it, they just ran out of gas at the end. There's only so much sample size from Siena, where McNamara slowed down the tempo in 2025-26 while improving the Saints' efficiency just about everywhere but the 3-point line. This could clash with DeVries' up-tempo style if McNamara tries to stay slow at Syracuse.
vs Tennessee Tech (Thursday, Nov. 12)
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Last non sub-300 finish in KenPom was 2022-23. Tobin Anderson, the mastermind behind Fairleigh Dickinson's legendary upset over Purdue in 2023, has taken over after being let go by a seemingly impatient administration at Iona. Anderson is a good coach and, while Tennessee Tech doesn't have much in terms of… anything, there's reason to be even just a little nervous when he's taken down titans before.
vs Arkansas (Tuesday, Nov. 17) – Madison Square Garden in New York City
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At long last. John Calipari takes on Indiana. Only now he's at Arkansas. And the game still isn't at Assembly Hall. Whatever.
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Anyway, Calipari has stuck to recruiting incredibly talented freshmen in the age of the transfer portal and has led the Razorbacks to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances. It's between Arkansas and Kentucky for Indiana's toughest test in the non-conference but I'll give the edge to the Razorbacks due to Calipari's presence and the question marks around Mark Pope with the Wildcats. Arkansas welcomes eight (8!!!!!) freshmen in the class of 2026 including top prospects like Jordan Smith Jr. and Miikka Muurinen. It's gonna be a lot of talent to try and stop.
vs Kentucky (Friday, Nov. 20) – Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
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DeVries gets his chance at revenge against Pope but, because of the wack series scheduling, has to take it up north in Indianapolis. Pope is as embattled as a third year head coach coming off off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances can be with recruiting woes plaguing his every step as the noise grew especially loud this offseason. He's built a talented group with names like Milan Momcilovic, Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo, among others. But, just like last year, will the pieces fit?
vs Jacksonville (Tuesday, Nov 24)
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Jacksonville has some decent finishes under Jordan Mincy but is coming off of its most hapless season under his watch. The Dolphins play an excruciatingly slow style of ball, which could make the game more annoying than you'd like, so just be ready for that.
vs Western Illinois (Thursday, Dec. 3)
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Hey! Remember these guys from the 2024 football non-conference? Good times. Anyway, the Leathernecks finished at 364th in KenPom last year, so, anyway.
vs UCF (Saturday, Dec. 12)
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Johnny Dawkins! Still coaching UCF! He's coming off of his second NCAA Tournament appearance with the Knights. One thing worth noting is that it seems he's adapted his program to Big 12 play, with UCF ranking in at 11th and 74th in adjusted tempo these past two seasons after previously wavering but mostly sticking to a slower style. There's quite a few new names on the 2026-27 roster, including a guy named Mister, so it'll be interesting to see if Dawkins keeps going with the up-tempo style or pivots at all.
vs Missouri (Saturday, Dec 19)
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Missouri has made it to the NCAA Tournament in three of its four seasons under Dennis Gates. That one season, 2023-24, was an 8-24 disaster that spoiled a fun first season a bit. He's mostly righted the ship ever since and has back-to-back decent finishes. The Tigers welcome their highest-rated high school signing class in program history, headlined by 5-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. and 4/5-star forward Toni Bryant. Combine that with a few impact transfers, like former Kansas forward Bryson Tiller and Missouri could be in for an exciting season and provide a tough test.
vs Fairleigh Dickinson (Tuesday, Dec. 22)
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