While the Indiana basketball program is in Peru competing in the FISU America Games, the Hoosiers' upcoming non-conference schedule just got a lot more interesting.
On Monday, it was announced that Indiana will face Arkansas on Tuesday, November 17 at Madison Square Garden. Led by head coach John Calipari, the Razorbacks present a very intriguing matchup for Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers for many reasons.
Indiana to face Arkansas at Madison Square Garden in November
The Razorbacks are coming off an impressive campaign in which they went 23-8 during the regular season, which included a 13-5 mark in SEC play. Arkansas then went on to win the SEC Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 4 seed, the Razorbacks defeated No. 13 Hawai'i and No. 12 High Point before falling to No. 1 Arizona.
Stock already rising for Indiana's freshmen following first exhibition game
Calipari and company lost superstar Darius Acuff Jr. to the NBA, but he has re-tooled his roster with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country heading into 2026. The class is headlined by Jordan Smith, who is heralded as the No. 1 guard in the country.
With the new season quickly approaching, Arkansas is ranked as the No. 11 team in the country per ESPN's way-too-early Top-25 rankings. The Hoosiers are not included in the Top-25, and are just on the outside looking in as one of the teams in the "next five" category.
The Hoosiers and Razorbacks have met five times on the hardwood, with Arkansas owning a 3-2 series advantage. The last meeting came back on March 23, 2029 in the second round of the NIT when Indiana won by a score of 63-60 in Bloomington.
After going 18-14 overall with a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play and missing the NCAA Tournament in his first season, there's no denying that DeVries needs to orchestrate a much better campaign in Year 2. This matchup against a program coming off a Sweet 16 appearance and with Final Four hopes in 2026-27 presents a great litmus test for Indiana. The Hoosiers can raise some eyebrows by finding the win column at Madison Square Garden.
Indiana's 2026-27 schedule is rounding into form
This November 17 matchup against Arkansas is Indiana's fourth non-conference matchup against a high major opponent. The Hoosiers will also face Syracuse, Kentucky, and Missouri in the non-conference slate, although the tentative matchup against Missouri on December 18 has yet to be officially announced. Add all of those matchups together, and the Hoosiers have a very respectable non-conference schedule on their hands.
Before the season officially tips off, Indiana will also play a pair of exhibition games. The first comes on Sunday, October 18 against North Carolina at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The second comes a week later on Sunday, October 25 against Western Kentucky at the Ford Center in Evansville.
In total, 27 of Indiana's 32 opponents for the upcoming season are now known.
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