IU basketball schedule: We know 7 of 11 nonconference games. What do they tell us?
Mike Woodson #MikeWoodson
BLOOMINGTON – Traditionally, Indiana is among the last programs in the Big Ten to reveal its basketball schedule.
The Hoosiers annually wait for the full release of their impending schedule, including both conference and nonconference games. Where some publish their non-league slate first, then add the Big Ten’s reveal in late summer, IU typically waits for the full hit.
Which means we tend to get that schedule — especially the nonconference portion — in fits and starts. Some events will be confirmed long in advance, like November tournaments or multiyear series. Others will be one-off guarantee games, and will be assembled year by year.
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From a variety of sources, we’ve got more than half of Mike Woodson’s third nonconference schedule already confirmed, and it offers up some fascinating conclusions. What does the 2023 non-league slate tell us about Indiana’s scheduling preferences going forward? Some thoughts:
Woodson promised near the beginning of his tenure he wouldn’t shy away from tough nonconference opponents, as soon as he felt his program was ready. He clearly thought IU ticked the boxes last season, seeking out Arizona and Kansas to supplement North Carolina and Xavier.
This season, expect more of the same. The Hoosiers have the return date with Kansas scheduled for Dec. 16, plus a two-game swing through the New York-based Empire Classic in late November. That will include meetings with some combination of Texas, UConn and Louisville.
Earlier this month, IndyStar confirmed IU also plans to play Auburn in Atlanta on Dec. 9. The Tigers might not carry the brand name Arizona does, but Bruce Pearl’s program has made four of the past five NCAA tournaments and only once in six seasons finished worse than No. 33 nationally in KenPom.
It’s not clear whether there’s interest in resuming the Kansas series, beyond the understanding Indiana’s traveling party enjoyed the atmosphere and experience of playing the Jayhawks in Lawrence last December. And events like the Empire Classic are only allowed to cycle onto the schedule every so often.
But between the three nonconference opponents IU has added of its own volition in the past two seasons, the Hoosiers’ confirmed participation in the Maui Invitational in 2026 and general suggestions Indiana might try to get involved with an event like Battle 4 Atlantis going forward, it stands to reason Woodson sees these elements of the schedule as crucial and regular.
Conference arrangements thinning out
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is off the schedule moving forward, after the Big Ten has fully divorced itself from ESPN. And the Gavitt Games, currently in the last year of their initial seven-year run, aren’t expected to include IU as the Hoosiers have fulfilled their commitment of five games in that span already.
It’s not clear whether the Gavitt Games will be renewed, although mutual media partners (chiefly Fox) would make such a move make sense for both the Big Ten and Big East, even as expansion leaves the two conferences further imbalanced.
In time, the Big Ten could explore some sort of replacement for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. But for the moment, it’s probably going to be up to the individual schools to fill that sizeable hole in the nonconference calendar. And the conference is probably happy to see teams like IU and Michigan State seeking out new opportunities in place of the ones guaranteed by the ESPN-run annual series.
Tougher guarantee games
The three non-marquee games currently confirmed are Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 7 (season opener), Wright State on Nov. 16 and Harvard on Nov. 26.
It’s simple but meaningful: Each of those three teams was ranked between Nos. 150-200 in last season’s final KenPom ratings. All three finished their seasons .500 or better.
Compare that to last season, when the only nonconference opponents outside the big hitters but inside the KenPom top 250 were Morehead State (No. 237) and Kennesaw State (No. 123).
Buy-game scheduling is a delicate process. You want teams good enough to toughen you up, but not dangerous enough to beat you. Teams that will mimic some characteristics you think you’ll see in more important games deeper into the calendar — teams that press, for example, or play small, or play lots of zone — but not at the expense of a damaging number of empty calories. And, of course, it’s tough to know what a team will look like in eight months when you put them on the schedule.
It does seem, however, like IU is trying to emphasize a slightly tougher middle-to-bottom portion of the non-league slate this season. That’s not massive, but it’s meaningful.
Harvard in Indy
For the second-straight year, one of those games will be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Last year it was Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 20. This season, it will be Harvard on No. 26. Emphasizing a date downtown in each of the past two seasons, even after leaving the Crossroads Classic following Woodson’s first season, feels telling. Expect the Hoosiers to remain committed to appearing in Indy at least once a year, most — if not all — of the time.
What else?
The full confirmed schedule is as follows:
Nov. 7: Florida Gulf Coast.
Nov. 16: Wright State.
Nov. 19-20: Empire Classic (in New York), two of three of Texas, UConn, Louisville.
Nov. 26: Harvard (in Indianapolis)
Dec. 9: Auburn (in Atlanta)
Dec. 16: Kansas
That’s seven of 11 nonconference games on the schedule, with the safe guess there are no more marquee games coming. So, where can IU add to get to 11?
Woodson and his staff have options.
They’ll likely want at least one game between FGCU and Wright State, possibly two. There’s a hole on the Friday before Thanksgiving. It’s probably safe to assume the Big Ten season will push somewhere into the calendar between Harvard and Auburn, with 12 days between those two games. And Kansas coming nine days before Christmas leaves room for at least two dates heading into the holiday.
We’re forecasting all this without knowing for certain what dates the league will claim, and whether conference play might restart slightly earlier this year. The Big Ten has the normal 10 weeks from the turn of the year until the second week of March to finish its season before the conference tournament, so an abnormally early start isn’t necessary. Still, league play usually resumes before New Year’s Day for at least some teams.
Without knowing opponents, and assuming IU intends to realize its full complement of nonconference games, my educated guess says we’ll see two more games between Nov. 7-16, and then either one on Black Friday and one between Kansas and Christmas, or two more between Kansas and Christmas. Press me to choose, and I’d lean toward the latter outcome.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU basketball schedule: We know 7 of 11 nonconference games. What do they tell us?