Indiana launched its 2024-25 males’s basketball non-conference schedule Tuesday morning.
The Hoosiers will navigate an 11-game non-conference slate, together with a visit to the Battle 4 Atlantis in late November.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from IU’s non-conference schedule launch:
Indiana is banking on Battle 4 Atlantis to offer marquee matchups
The bracket for the Battle 4 Atlantis has but to be launched, however given the shortage of high-major matchups on the remainder of the slate, it’s clear IU is relying on marquee matchups within the Bahamas.
Indiana’s potential opponents within the Battle 4 Atlantis are Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Louisville, Oklahoma, Windfall and West Virginia.
The clear headliners from that group are Arizona and Gonzaga. The Wildcats are ranked No. 10 in Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings for subsequent season and the Zags are ranked No. 9.
Past that, Torvik has Davidson at No. 157, Louisville at No. 62, Oklahoma at No. 67, Windfall at No. 60 and West Virginia at No. 83.
A marquee win or two within the Bahamas shall be pivotal in constructing a resume earlier than convention play begins. If Indiana doesn’t carry out effectively on the Battle 4 Atlantis, the possibilities it’ll end non-conference play and not using a Quad 1 win are excessive.
Indiana is just not at the moment scheduled to play in Indianapolis
Based on final 12 months’s non-conference schedule launch, Indiana performed a sport in Indianapolis final season for the forty ninth consecutive season.
That streak is in jeopardy this season until the 2025 Large Ten match is performed within the state’s capitol.
The Large Ten has but to announce a venue for subsequent season’s convention match.
It marks the second straight season that Indiana has not performed a real highway sport within the non-conference.
The house non-conference schedule lacks a signature opponent
With the Gavitt Tipoff Video games and Large Ten-ACC Problem dissolved, the likelihood of getting a signature non-conference sport at Meeting Corridor has decreased.
Final season, Indiana crammed the void with the return sport of a home-and-home sequence with Kansas.
This season, South Carolina is the one high-major opponent coming to Bloomington within the non-conference. Whereas the Gamecocks have been an NCAA match workforce final season, this matchup gained’t transfer the needle for season ticket holders.
It additionally could not assist purchase a Quad 1 victory outdoors of the Bahamas. Bart Torvik at the moment tasks South Carolina because the nation’s No. 54 workforce for subsequent season.
Until the Gamecocks can outperform that projection, the perfect Indiana can hope for is probably going a Quad 2 win on this one-year stopgap matchup earlier than the Kentucky sequence resumes in 2025-26.
Analyzing the opposite seven non-conference opponents
Along with the Battle 4 Atlantis contest and the South Carolina sport, Indiana will play seven towards low — or mid-major opponents.
4 of these opponents – Sam Houston State, Chattanooga, Winthrop and UNC-Greensboro – are ranked between 113 and 175 nationally in Torvik’s preseason projections for subsequent season.
Miami (OH) is at the moment ranked 234th, with Japanese Illinois at No. 311 and SIU-Edwardsville at No. 313.
All seven of those video games — plus South Carolina — fall below the class of “assure” or “purchase” video games, which means that the Hoosiers gained’t must make a return journey.
There are a number of Indiana ties amongst these opponents.
SIU-Edwardsville is coached by Brian Barone, who labored in Bloomington below Tom Crean. Logan Duncomb, who performed two seasons at IU, is on the Winthrop roster. Former IU participant Marty Simmons coaches Japanese Illinois. And Miami (OH) coach Travis Steele was a video coordinator at IU below Kelvin Sampson.
This non-conference slate isn’t as difficult because the final two seasons
Since he arrived in Bloomington, Mike Woodson has not shied away from scheduling marquee non-conference matchups.
In 12 months two of his tenure, Woodson performed Arizona in Las Vegas and Kansas in Lawrence. Final season, the Hoosiers performed Kansas in Bloomington, Auburn in Atlanta and UConn in New York.
Of these 5 video games, solely UConn was a part of an exempt multi-team occasion (MTE) during which Indiana didn’t select the opponent.
After arising quick in every of these video games the final two seasons, Indiana’s non-conference schedule this season isn’t as difficult regardless of a switch portal haul ranked among the many nation’s greatest.
Indiana has an opportunity to rack up loads of wins with this schedule however shall be below stress to win within the Bahamas and Large Ten play as a result of the remainder of the slate is underwhelming.
Filed to: 2024-25 schedule
