3 matchups Indiana basketball fans already have circled on the schedule

The start of the 2026-27 college basketball season is still more than six months away, but anticipation is already building in Bloomington.

Entering Year 2 of his tenure at Indiana, Darian DeVries has re-vamped IU's roster in a major way that is drawing plenty of attention in the college basketball world. DeVries has brought in one of the top transfer portal classes in the country and has a talented group of freshmen joining the mix as well. Many analysts and insiders are speaking very highly of Indiana's potential for next season, and IU basketball fans are eager for the Cream and Crimson to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

As excitement continues to grow, Hoosier fans are getting a picture of what Indiana's 2026-27 schedule will look like.

Big Ten releases conference basketball matchups for 2026-27

The Big Ten Conference has released the conference matchups for the 2026-27 season. Each team will once again play 20 games in conference play with seven matchups coming at home, seven coming on the road, and home-and-home matchups against three opponents.

Exact dates and times for these contests are not yet known, but here is how Indiana's 2026-27 Big Ten schedule shapes up:

Home only: Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, and USC

Away only: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, and Wisconsin

Home and Away: Maryland, Northwestern, and Purdue

3 Big Ten matchups Indiana basketball fans are already eyeing

As DeVries looks to orchestrate a better campaign in Year 2, there are three key matchups that IU fans are already eyeing.

vs. Michigan

Coming off a National Championship-winning season, the Michigan Wolverines present a must-watch matchup for DeVries and the Hoosiers. Dusty May has turned the Wolverines into a national powerhouse during his two seasons in Ann Arbor, and he has bolstered his roster to compete for another title again next season.

This past season, the Wolverines took care of the Hoosiers in convincing fashion in their lone matchup of the season. Michigan dominated the Hoosiers from start to finish back on January 20 in Ann Arbor en route to an 86-72 victory. The Wolverines will now make the trip down to Assembly Hall this season, and the matchup against the defending national champs will tell us a lot about where the Hoosiers stand in the national college basketball picture.

vs. Illinois

Fortunately for the Hoosiers, their upcoming matchups against the Big Ten's two Final Four teams from this past season both come at home in 2026-27. Along with hosting Michigan, Indiana will also host Illinois at Assembly Hall. Assembly Hall will undoubtedly be rocking for both of those matchups.

Illinois has been a consistent winner under Brad Underwood, as he has taken the Fighting Illini to the NCAA Tournament in six consecutive seasons. They reached the Elite Eight in 2024 and are coming off an impressive Final Four run this past season. Several top playmakers are back in Champaign, and IU fans are hoping this year's matchup yields a different result than last season's 71-51 loss to the Fighting Illini on February 15.

vs/at Purdue

Naturally, Hoosier fans are already thinking about Indiana's rivalry matchups with Purdue next season. The in-state rivals split their two matchups this past season, with Indiana's win coming by a score of 72-67 at Assembly Hall on January 27. Purdue then dominated IU to the tune of a 93-64 win in West Lafayette a few weeks later on February 20.

Like the Hoosiers, the Boilermakers will have plenty of new faces on their roster next season. Purdue's veteran core of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn have all graduated, and it will be interesting to see what the Boilers look like without that cast of players in the mix.

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