Takeaways From Indiana Basketball’s 2024-25 Nonconference Schedule

Indiana basketball on Tuesday unveiled its nonconference schedule for the 2024-25 season, which lacks a marquee game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall but provides several challenges away from home.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The season may still be roughly four months away, but the 2024-25 nonconference schedule Indiana released Tuesday provides a glimpse of how coach Mike Woodson’s fourth year will unfold.

Indiana will play eight nonconference games at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and three games as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas. The gap between games on Dec. 6 and Dec. 21 will be filled by two unannounced Big Ten conference games.

Here’s the full schedule, with game times and TV information to be announced.

Nov. 6 (Wednesday): SIU-Edwardsville at Assembly Hall

Nov. 10 (Sunday): Eastern Illinois at Assembly Hall

Nov. 16 (Saturday): South Carolina at Assembly Hall

Nov. 21 (Thursday): UNC-Greensboro at Assembly Hall

Nov. 27-29 (Wednesday-Friday): Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas; Three games, with opponents to be announced; Tournament field: Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma, Providence, West Virginia

Dec. 3 (Tuesday): Sam Houston State at Assembly Hall

Dec. 6 (Friday): Miami (Ohio) at Assembly Hall

Dec. 21 (Saturday): UT-Chattanooga at Assembly Hall

Dec. 28 (Saturday): Winthrop at Assembly Hall

“My staff and I put together a non-conference schedule that will lead to long-term success this season,” Woodson said in an Indiana news release. “We have a new team this year that we are excited to showcase in front of the sold-out crowds in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

“We will be tested by some veteran, well-coached ball clubs early in the season that will prepare us for a 20-game conference schedule. We are looking forward to playing in one of the best in-season tournaments in our games in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The matchups, no matter how they fall, will create a great test for our team.”

Here are three takeaways from the nonconference schedule release:

Home slate lacks marquee names

South Carolina is the only high-major nonconference foe making the trip to Assembly Hall this season. The Gamecocks were ranked in the final eight AP top-25 polls, peaking at No. 11 and earning a No. 6 seed before losing to No. 11 seed Oregon in the Round of 32. Coach Lamont Paris finished third in AP National Coach of the Year voting, improving from 11-21 to 26-8 from year one to two. But heading into 2024-25, he’ll have to replace three of his top four scorers, and South Carolina is currently outside the top-45 teams, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

Paris had a good team last year, but South Carolina still doesn’t create the same excitement as Indiana’s previous home nonconference games against Kansas and North Carolina in each of the last two seasons. Missing out on that big-game atmosphere in November and December is too bad, especially since Indiana has the type of home court advantage it could benefit from against a highly ranked opponent. A big reason that type of marquee matchup isn’t happening is because the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and Gavitt Games no longer exist.

Besides the Gamecocks, the remaining home games are against mid-major teams the Hoosiers should easily beat. Last year, they escaped with narrow wins over Florida Gulf Coast, Army and Wright State, which hurt their NET rankings and hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid.

So in a positive sense, Indiana will have a manageable nonconference schedule, which creates an easier path to stockpiling blowout wins, boosting its computer rankings, building chemistry with a new-look roster and owning a strong record when Big Ten play begins.

Battle 4 Atlantis provides challenges

Depending on how South Carolina’s season pans out and Indiana’s draw in the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Hoosiers may wind up playing their three most difficult nonconference games in a three-day span in the Bahamas. The bracket isn’t set, but Indiana will match up against three of the following seven teams: Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Louisville, Oklahoma, Providence and West Virginia. 

According to the Rothstein 45, the top opponents could be No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 14 Arizona and No. 32 Providence. Louisville and West Virginia went through coaching changes this offseason, hiring Charleston’s Pat Kelsey and Drake’s Darian DeVries, respectively. Their rosters will look far different from last season, with West Virginia’s eight-player portal class ranking sixth nationally and Louisville’s 12-player class ranking 27th, per 247Sports.

Oklahoma enters a crucial fourth season under coach Porter Moser, who hasn’t yet taken the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament following an impressive run at Loyola that included a Final Four appearance. Davidson has made the NCAA Tournament eight times in the last 20 seasons, including four years with an appearance in the AP top-25 poll. The Wildcats are coached by Matt McKillop, who enters his third season and is the son of Bob McKillop, Davidson’s head coach from 1989-2022.

Indiana will get experience away from home in the Bahamas, though that ballroom atmosphere will be different from a Big Ten road game. With no true road games, Indiana will not have an opportunity to test itself in a challenging environment before conference play.

No Indianapolis game?

Indiana had played a game in Indianapolis for 40 consecutive seasons and 113 total times in program history, but that streak may come to an end this year. The Hoosiers’ 11-game nonconference schedule currently features eight games in Bloomington and three in the Bahamas. 

Indiana used to play in Indianapolis annually for the Crossroads Classic with Notre Dame, Butler and Purdue. But Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski in 2021 hinted Indiana and Notre Dame no longer wanted to play in the event, and it hasn’t been played since the 2021-22 season. Indiana instead opted for high-profile games like playing a home-and-home series against Kansas, traveling to Las Vegas to play Arizona and heading to Madison Square Garden to play in the national spotlight against UConn.

Without the Crossroads Classic or what Indiana called the “Hoosier Classic” in 2022 against Miami (Ohio) and 2023 against Harvard, its most likely Indianapolis game could be the Big Ten Tournament. The location of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament is not yet set, but Indianapolis is a possible site. Since the tournament began in 1998, Indianapolis has hosted the Big Ten Tournament 13 times. Last year, Woodson stated his desire to play in his hometown.

"Playing a game in Indianapolis is very important to our program," Woodson said. "IU Basketball has a long-standing tradition of playing whenever it can in Indianapolis and giving fans who may not otherwise get to see us in person an opportunity to experience a Hoosier game for themselves."