Believe it or not, we are now less than two months away from the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season. For the Indiana Hoosiers, a trio of exhibition games against Butler, North Carolina, and Western Kentucky will take place in October, while the regular season starts on Monday, November 2 with a home matchup against Eastern Illinois.
All 32 matchups for the upcoming season have been known for a while, and now the full regular season schedule has officially been released. The Hoosiers face a challenging non-conference schedule before enduring the always-tough Big Ten slate.
Here is a look at five matchups that Hoosier basketball fans are already eyeing. Get your popcorn ready.
vs Arkansas: Nov. 17 at Madison Square Garden
One of the most intriguing non-conference matchups for Indiana comes against the Arkansas Razorbacks on November 17 at Madison Square Garden. This will give Indiana another chance to give John Calipari nightmares, as it will be Calipari's first regular season matchup against the Hoosiers since the Wat Shot back in 2011. Calipari infamously refused to return to Assembly Hall after that game, which put an end to the annual meetings between Indiana and Kentucky.
Now leading the Razorbacks, Calipari brings in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the 2026-27 season. Arkansas is ranked as the No. 11 team in the country according to ESPN's way-too-early Top-25 rankings, and they are a legitimate Final Four contender. This will be a fantastic matchup to watch unfold.
vs. Kentucky: Nov. 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Speaking of Calipari, Indiana will also face his former team, the Kentucky Wildcats, in November. Just three days after battling Arkansas in The Big Apple, the Hoosiers will take on Kentucky at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 20.
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Following the Wat Shot, the rivalry between the Hoosiers and Wildcats was put on hiatus. The two historic programs faced each other in the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2016, but didn't play a regular season game against one another from 2011-2025. Kentucky won last year's meeting by a score of 72-60 at Rupp Arena, which means DeVries and the Hoosiers will be looking for revenge when this contest rolls around.
vs. Michigan: Jan. 16
Coming off a National Championship-winning season, the Michigan Wolverines present a must-watch matchup for Indiana basketball fans. Dusty May made headlines over the offseason by taking the Dallas Mavericks head coaching job, but Michigan should still be expected to be a title contender this season as new head coach Mike Boynton Jr. was able to retain some big names.
This past season, Michigan dominated Indiana from start to finish in their lone matchup of the season. Michigan won 86-72 in Ann Arbor and will now make the trip down to Assembly Hall this season. This January 16 contest against the defending national champs will tell us a lot about where the Hoosiers stand in Year 2 of the DeVries era.
vs. Illinois: Jan. 24
Illinois has been a consistent winner under Brad Underwood, and figure to be another big threat in the Big Ten this season. Underwood has taken the Fighting Illini to the NCAA Tournament in six consecutive seasons, and they are coming off an impressive Final Four run this past season. Several top playmakers are back in Champaign, and IU fans are hoping this year's matchup yields a different result than last season's 71-51 loss to the Fighting Illini on February 15.
Purdue: Feb. 16 and March 5
Naturally, Hoosier fans are already thinking about Indiana's rivalry matchups with Purdue next season. The Hoosiers will host the Boilermakers on February 16 and travel to West Lafayette on March 5 in the regular season finale.
The in-state rivals split their two matchups this past season, with Indiana winning 72-67 at Assembly Hall on January 27 before Purdue won 93-64 at Mackey Arena on February 20. Like the Hoosiers, the Boilermakers will have plenty of new faces on their roster next season. Purdue's veteran core of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn have all graduated, leaving Matt Painter with plenty of reliable production to replace.
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