Halfway through Big Ten play, it felt like it could finally be the year that the Indiana Hoosiers could make it to the NCAA Tournament. It felt like the glory on the basketball court was back for Hoosiers fans, but the end of Big Ten play has dashed those hopes away.
Indiana in the last seven games is 1-6, with its only win coming against Minnesota on Senior Day. The Hoosiers have losses against Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio State, and now a second loss against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament.
Head coach Darian DeVries was supposed to bring back the glory of Indiana basketball, but instead, he is now going to lose the majority of his roster and will have to rebuild again after most likely missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
Did Indiana just play themselves out of the NCAA Tournament? 🤔
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 12, 2026
The Hoosiers went 1–6 down the stretch… 😬 pic.twitter.com/f7004Lewv2
Indiana in on the outside looking in with latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology
ESPN's bracketologist Joe Lunardi has been working hard to predict how the NCAA Tournament bracket will be, and he seems to have made up his mind on Indiana. Lunardi has predicted that Indiana will be the first team out, just narrowly missing out on the NCAA Tournament for yet another season.
Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana simply needed to win at least one game, maybe two, in order to secure their spot. A loss against Northwestern, the 15-seed, has most likely now knocked them out.
Now, DeVries will have to go back to drawing board for next season with the majority of his roster leaving and rebuild again. Indiana will have to find some great recruits in the coming seasons to build a future in Bloomington, as the transfer portal is just a band-aid fix. Fans won't love missing the tournament, but a sloppy end to the season ultimately will doom the Hoosiers for another year.