Indiana's non-conference schedule could be getting a serious shake-up.
On Wednesday, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports revealed that there is a blockbuster new college basketball event in the works -- and the Hoosiers are included. Dubbed "The Diamond Cup," the showcase would feature eight college basketball blue bloods and debut during the 2027-28 season.
Breaking—A huge new event is in the works involving a majority of CBB's blue bloods, sources tell @CBSSports. It's called the Diamond Cup. The debut is planned for 2027. It's a major, unprecedented scheduling idea. Can it all come together? Let's hope so. https://t.co/GSukG6ojoJ
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 20, 2026
Indiana reportedly linked to brand new college basketball Diamond Cup
According to Norlander's reporting, the Diamond Cup proposal is still in the planning process, but it may be closer to finalized than not. The goal of the tournament is to enhance the early part of the college basketball regular season with high-profile matchups between the sports' blue blood programs.
Along with Indiana, other teams named in the report include North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, and Arizona. Duke was previously in the mix as well, but recently bowed out due to its three-game contract with Amazon Prime Video, which starts later this year.
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The Diamond Cup organizers define the showcase as "a premium, scalable, made-for-media college basketball franchise built to redefine the regular season. It delivers guaranteed blue-chip brands, premium viewership and serialized national narratives across multiple cities."
There are still a lot of details yet to be decided, but according to Norlander, the 2027-2028 Diamond Cup version would be a two-game agreement with the possibility of a four-game agreement taking shape in the following years. Furthermore, each university would reportedly receive $2.25 million for their participation, with that number set to increase to $3.75 million starting in 2028-29.
At this time, it appears that these games would take place at neutral site venues.
The Diamond Cup would give Darian DeVries and Indiana a chance to make a massive statement
As the Indiana Hoosiers look to get back to the NCAA Tournament, the Diamond Cup presents a solid chance for Darian DeVries and company to make a statement. If the event comes to fruition and Indiana faces multiple teams in the tournament field, it would present a great opportunity for IU to boost its non-conference slate and NCAA Tournament resume.
Obviously a lot has to happen for this tournament to become a reality, but as it stands at this point in time, there's a lot to like about the potential. The revenue, buzz, and potential tournament resume boost makes this an intriguing event for all teams involved. For DeVries and the Hoosiers, it would give them a chance to prove to a national audience that the Cream and Crimson are on the up and up.
Indiana has made some noise in the portal this offseason, bringing in the No. 4 transfer portal class in the country according to 247Sports. After going 18-14 and missing the NCAA Tournament in his first season, DeVries is eyeing a much better campaign in 2026-27. With Hoosier basketball fans hungrier than ever for a March Madness run, DeVries needs to deliver in a big way this upcming season.
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