Progrums

March Mayhem: Indiana’s 2026-27 Big Ten Opponent Blitz

The Big Ten has unveiled Indiana’s conference matchups for the 2026-27 basketball season, setting the stage for a season of high-stakes showdowns at Assembly Hall and beyond. The Hoosiers will host Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA and USC, while traveling to face Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington and Wisconsin. In addition, Indiana will play home-and-home series with Maryland, Northwestern and Purdue. Although non-conference dates remain unannounced, the conference slate promises marquee home tests against reigning national champions and perennial top-25 squads. The road trips, while omitting trips to Ann Arbor and Columbus, still include daunting visits to Iowa’s “Barn,” Purdue’s Mackey Arena and Nebraska’s Kohl Center. Second-year head coach Darian DeVries, fresh off a revamp of the roster via six transfers and four top-80 freshmen, will look to capitalize on this draw to secure Quad One wins and bolster Indiana’s NCAA Tournament résumé.

Now that Indiana’s 2026-27 opponents are set, fans can prepare for months of nail-biting schedule analysis, bracketology fever and hashtag activism—because apparently tweeting “@AssemblyHall when’s tip-off?” counts as fandom these days. Sure, DeVries didn’t draw Michigan State at home, but they did get UCLA and USC—because nothing says “Indiana toughness” like hosting two West Coast schools more accustomed to palm trees than Yule logs. Road games at Nebraska promise hostile arenas and farm-fresh boos, while the absence of Ann Arbor may simply mean Michigan will fly in its scandal-proof drones to coach from the rafters. As for the portal recruits, let’s hope they remember which lobby leads to the practice court—otherwise the Hoosiers’ next highlight reel might be a blooper montage worthy of late-night sports comedy.