After posting a Year 1 record of 18-14 and missing the NCAA Tournament last year, Darian DeVries is looking to lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a much better campaign in 2026-27. The pieces seem to be in place for significant improvement, as the Hoosiers boast a Top-10 transfer portal class, a promising incoming freshmen group, and multiple key returners in Trent Sisley and Sam Alexis. Of course, things can look perfect on paper, but the results that matter most come on the hardwood
With the start of the new season looming, Indiana's list of opponents is nearly complete. The Hoosiers have already competed in the FISU America Games this summer, and a trio of exhibition games are on the docket against Butler on October 11, North Carolina on October 18, and Western Kentucky on October 25.
After that, a challenging non-conference slate awaits. That slate got even more interesting with the announcement of Indiana's newest opponent.
Indiana's non-conference schedule features plenty of intriguing matchups
On Monday night, it was announced that the Hoosiers will be hosting UCF at Assembly Hall on Saturday, December 12. The contest will be Indiana's fifth against a high-major opponent in the non-conference, as other matchups are already on the docket include Syracuse, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri. Now, 30 of Indiana's 32 opponents for the upcoming season are known.
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The December 12 meeting between the Hoosiers and Knights is an intriguing one. Led by head coach Johnny Dawkins, UCF is coming off a season in which it won 21 games and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Knights were a No. 10 seed and lost to UCLA in the Round of 64. Dawkins is now set to enter his fourth season in Orlando and is sporting an overall record of 189-132 (.589).
UCF is a quality opponent that gives DeVries and company a great opportunity. When looking around at the quality of Indiana's other non-conference opponents, this matchup against UCF at home is a game in which the Hoosiers need to find the win column.
What makes this contest even more interesting is the fact that both rosters have undergone substantial turnover via the transfer portal. Indiana brings in seven players from the portal, and six have multiple years of high-major experience. On the other side, UCF adds five transfer players who averaged double-digit points per game last season. With so many new faces on both sides, it will be interesting to see how each team is meshing together and performing when this matchup rolls around in mid-December.
Indiana's leading returning scorer is Sisley, who average just 4.2 points per game last year as a freshman. UCF's leading returning scorer comes in the form of center Jon Bol, who averaged 5.9 points per contest.
Updated look at Indiana's 2026-27 non-conference schedule
Now that UCF is officially on the docket, here is a look at Indiana's current non-conference schedule:
- Nov. 2: vs. Eastern Illinois
- Nov. 5: vs. Bellarmine
- Nov. 9: vs. Syracuse (Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis)
- No. 17: vs. Arkansas (Madison Square Garden in New York City)
- Nov. 20: vs. Kentucky (Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)
- Nov. 27: vs. Bowling Green
- Dec. 6: vs. Western Illinois
- Dec. 12: vs. UCF
- Dec. 18: vs. Missouri
- Dec. 22: vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
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