The news of the NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 teams has college basketball fans across the country wondering about the possibilities for their respective teams.
In Bloomington, fans of the Indiana Hoosiers are desperate for a March Madness run. IU has made the NCAA Tournament in just two of the last 10 years, and has missed out on March Madness in each of the last three seasons.
Darian DeVries' first season at the helm of the Indiana program ended in underwhelming fashion, as he led the Hoosiers to an 18-14 overall record and failed to take advantage of the many opportunities they had to get off the tournament bubble. Indiana has now been among the First Four Out in 2019, 2025, and 2026, but the new 76-team tournament field would have featured the Hoosiers in all of those seasons.
Still, Indiana basketball fans want to leave no doubt about the cream and crimson being a tournament team in 2026-27. Indiana may have stumbled into the tournament field this past season if there were 76 spots available, but it's clear that the product on the hardwood was not up to the standards that IU fans expect.
Now that the 76-team tournament is coming into form, early 2027 bracketology predictions are hot off the presses.
Joe Lunardi has Indiana pegged as a tournament team in 2027
ESPN's Joe Lunardi has released his first predictions for the 2027 NCAA Tournament, and Hoosier fans are excited to see Indiana among the 76-team field.
In his projection, Lunardi has Indiana listed as a No. 7 seed in the East Region. In that scenario, Lunardi has the Hoosiers facing No. 10 Texas A&M in the Round of 64.
The Hoosiers are one of 12 Big Ten teams in Lunardi's bracket, which trails only the SEC's 13 teams for the most from a single conference.
Other Big Ten teams featured include Michigan (No. 1), Illinois (No. 1), Michigan State (No. 2), USC (No. 4), Purdue (No. 5), Nebraska (No. 6), Wisconsin (No. 8), Ohio State (No. 9), UCLA (No. 10), Iowa (No. 10), and Oregon (No. 11). Maryland is listed as one of the first four teams out of the tournament field.
With the tournament expanding to 76 teams, there isn't much of a safety net for DeVries. IU's portal additions are solid, and at least on paper, the talent appears to be there. But now it's on DeVries to put it all together and put forth a strong season. He won't do himself any favors by missing out on a 76-team tournament next season.
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