The Indiana Hoosiers are gold medalists.
Representing Team USA in the FISU America Games in Peru, Indiana won the gold medal on Monday afternoon with a 99-57 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Hoosiers went a perfect 4-0 in the tournament, and out-scored their opponents by a whopping 441-196.
Entering a pivotal second season in Bloomington, Indiana's performance in the FISU America Games makes for an ideal start to the preseason slate for Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers.
Indiana wins gold in dominating fashion at FISU America Games
Prior to the tournament beginning, Indiana defeated Canada's Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf by a score of 98-64 at Assembly Hall on July 15.
Once down in Peru, Indiana began group play with victories over Peru and U.S. Virgin Islands. The Hoosiers defeated Peru by a score of 115-36 and the U.S. Virgin Islands 120-63. In the semifinals, Indiana took down Chile with a 107-40 victory before beating U.S. Virgin Islands again in the gold medal game.
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It's fair to say the competition in the FISU America Games was not up to the caliber that Indiana expected. The Hoosiers made light work of each opponent, winning their four games by an average of 61.3 points per game. But at the same time, it was encouraging to see Indiana take care of business and put forth a strong showing.
Now, DeVries and company are hoping to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the summer and into the start of the new season. Before the season begins, Indiana will play exhibition games against Butler (October 11), North Carolina (October 18), and Western Kentucky (October 25). Those contests will help provide a better gauge of where the Hoosiers stand heading into the new campaign.
Indiana leaves Peru with gold medals and plenty of positive takeaways
What makes foreign trips like the FISU America Games so valuable is the chance to build team chemistry both on and off the court. Traveling as a team across international waters and playing against new competition has many benefits, and the Hoosiers made sure to take advantage of that opportunity.
With Trent Sisley as the only returning player from last year's team, Indiana's 2026-27 roster features plenty of new faces. DeVries once again leaned heavily on the transfer portal, and a talented incoming freshman class has the vast majority of Indiana's roster made up of first-year Hoosiers. With that huge amount of roster turnover, these foreign trips in the summer become even more valuable.
Sure the competition wasn't what IU will likely see all throughout the upcoming season. But the experience in Peru gave the Hoosiers a handful of extra practices, four games, and an exhibition game to continue to gel together. When the roster consists of all new faces who have never played together before, that extra prep time comes in handy.
All in all, the Hoosiers leave Peru with gold medals and the building blocks needed to put forth a strong rest of the offseason.
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