4. vs Maryland – January 26
This is the second game of a brutal five-game stretch for the Hoosiers. They host the Terrapins after playing Michigan State at home and before a two-game road trip to Ohio State and Penn State. They finish off the stretch with another home game against Purdue.
This is going to be the make or break time for the Hoosiers even though it is early in the conference schedule. Indiana needs to be able to steal a couple of these games if they want to be taken seriously in the conference and on the national level.
We referenced earlier how Michigan State looks like the runaway favorite for the Big Ten, so while beating them would be great every team might lose to them this year. That leaves Maryland as possibly the next best team and a big game for the Hoosiers.
They get the Terrapins at home and it is a way for the Hoosiers to make a statement. Indiana will more than likely go into this game as the underdog, but playing at home as an underdog is something that the Hoosiers have been good at in the past. Assembly Hall should be rocking and the players have fed off of that in the past.
This isn’t a make or break game, but the Hoosiers could get a leg up on the teams they are battling by getting a big win against the Terrapins. They will need to slow down Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr. to do it and that will be tough. This will be a tough game for the Hoosiers to win, but win this and it could mean some big things for them this year.