BLOOMINGTON — Darian DeVries will take his team to Indianapolis at least twice in the nonconference portion of the Indiana basketball schedule. Where else the Hoosiers might travel before they begin Big Ten play remains an open question.
Having cemented meetings with Syracuse (Nov. 9, Gainbridge Fieldhouse) and Kentucky (Nov. 20, Lucas Oil Stadium), DeVries and his staff remain in pursuit of further high-profile additions to next season’s nonconference slate.
Their options appear varied, though perhaps time limited. With the summer season already approaching its halfway point, the runway to find meaningful nonconference games is beginning to shorten.
Where, then, can the Hoosiers turn for more options?
Could Indiana basketball play on the East Coast?
Indiana enjoys substantial support along the Atlantic seaboard. The program has for years prioritized bringing its basketball to fans in that part of the country.
The last time IU played on the East Coast in the nonconference was its two-game swing through the Empire Classic in November 2023, when the Hoosiers faced UConn and Louisville at Madison Square Garden. The program’s last appearance on the East Coast was the relocated Penn State game in January 2025, played at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
When Indiana travels east, it enjoys robust support. There are few programs that can draw even in terms of fan support with UConn in the Garden, and fewer still that can do so from outside the northeast footprint. Indiana can do that.
Which makes the Hoosiers a popular draw for neutral-site event organizers, not just in New York but in the region more generally. It wasn’t 12 months ago there were as many as 15,000 IU fans in the stands at SECU Stadium, following the Hoosiers’ 55-10 win over Maryland in football. Basketball does similar numbers under the right circumstances.
What are those circumstances? Opponent, for one. Indiana against an East Coast opponent on a neutral floor somewhere out east would make a lot of sense. But the venue would have to be available — New York isn’t necessarily the only city Indiana could consider — and, as is often this case with these discussions, the opponent has to be right as well.
Why neutral-site games are valuable in college basketball
The annual debate about homecourt vs. neutral-site games will probably carry on forever. The latter have become increasingly valuable in college basketball.
Roster costs are only moving in one direction right now. The sport’s most expensive rosters now come in north of $20 million. Even Indiana, which reported more than $51 million in men’s basketball-specific operating revenues last fiscal year, must seek ways to offset as much of that cost as it can.
Neutral-site games tend to come with more lucrative purses. Already appealing to broadcasters and teams alike, they have become even more valuable recently. We’ve seen Duke and Michigan tweak their series recently, and Arizona add one against Arkansas. It would make sense for Indiana to pursue something similar if it can find a willing partner.
With two games already set for Indianapolis, it feels safe to assume any new neutral-site games would be staged elsewhere. But they can — and often do — come with a return-game component that could bolster future schedules as well.
Where does the Diamond Cup fit in for IU basketball?
The lack of a clear answer to that question lingers over scheduling concerns right now.
For those unfamiliar, the Diamond Cup is an eight-team, regular-season event proposed to include Arizona, UConn, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, IU, Michigan and North Carolina. According to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, if it is finalized, it would begin in the 2027-28 season.
Many specifics — format, schedule, design — still appear to need ironing out. But Norlander’s report suggests that could eventually include lucrative payouts to participant programs, if the event becomes established. Even without those, being included in something like this would convey prestige and importance that Indiana covets in the sport.
What that means for both near- and long-term scheduling remains unclear. IU is scheduled to play Kansas in Las Vegas that season, for example. Would that game still go ahead if the Diamond Cup becomes fully formed? Could it somehow be incorporated into the event? Would it be superseded?
Right now, the Diamond Cup remains strong in ideas and short on answers. As more of the latter become apparent, its impact on Indiana’s scheduling should too.
Watching the homefront
The Hoosiers have yet to announce a noteworthy nonconference game at Assembly Hall, but recent past behavior suggests that’s part of the plan.
Two years ago, South Carolina came to Assembly Hall. Last winter, Kansas State did the same. Neither game could claim marquee billing, but they at least added some meat to the non-league portion of fans’ season-ticket packages.
DeVries and his staff can do that again this season. In fact, it’s slightly easier now, thanks to the NCAA’s decision to allow teams to schedule as many as 32 games, up one from the 31-game cap that had been in place for two decades.
Indiana could stand to seek out an opponent more likely to add something to the NCAA Tournament resume this time around (the Gamecocks and Wildcats finished Nos. 69 and 103, respectively, in those seasons’ final KenPom rankings). But it would be surprising, based on recent preference, to see IU lock in DeVries’ second nonconference schedule without at least one name-recognized opponent at home.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball still working on next season’s schedule. Why neutral-site games matter
Reporting by Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
