Takeaways From Indiana's Big Ten Home, Road Opponents in 2023-24

A lot will change by the time the 2023-24 Big Ten basketball season starts, but here are a few takeaways from Indiana's home and road opponents.

The Big Ten announced conference opponents for the 2023-24 season on Tuesday. All 14 teams found out their full 20-game conference slate, including home and road opponents.

Here's the breakdown of Indiana's home and road opponents for the 2023-24 men's basketball season. Dates, times and television information will be released at a later date.

Home and away: Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin

Home only: Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern

Away only: Illinois, Michigan, Rutgers

It's important to remember that roster rebuilding is still far from over this offseason, so much can – and will – change by the time next season rolls around. Anyways, here are a few takeaways from Indiana's draw.

Three double-play opponents with serious uncertainty

Indiana drew home and road games against Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State, three teams with major questions to answer this offseason. Minnesota was in last place in the Big Ten from start to finish last year, winning just two conference games. To make matters worse for coach Ben Johnson entering his third season, Jamison Battle and Ta'Lon Cooper, two of Minnesota's three leading scorers, have transferred to Ohio State and South Carolina, respectively.

Nebraska showed some promise at the end of the 2022-23 season, but still finished 16-16 and 11th place in the Big Ten in year four under coach Fred Hoiberg. Keisei Tominaga returns after averaging 13.1 points last year, but Nebraska loses All-Big Ten forward Derrick Walker and third-leading scorer Sam Griesel.

Penn State made an exciting run in the Big Ten Tournament behind All-American point Jalen Pickett and a variety of 3-point shooters, but the program lost all momentum when coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame. As a result, 11 players from the 2022-23 roster either went to the transfer portal, declared for the NBA Draft or graduated, leaving Kanye Clary (3.7 ppg) and Demetrius Lilley (0.8 ppg) as the only returning players. After hiring coach Mike Rhoades from VCU, Penn State added VCU transfers Nick Kern and Ace Baldwin Jr., the reigning Atlantic-10 Player of the Year, as well as North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson.

As it stands, six total games against Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State appears to be a positive for Indiana.

Avoiding road venues where Indiana has struggled

The Breslin Center on Michigan State's campus is widely considered one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten. Indiana has a 2-24 record at Michigan State dating back to the 1991-92 season. Not to mention, coach Tom Izzo has constructed a roster that should be a serious contender for the 2023-24 Big Ten title. Despite the loss of Joey Hauser, Michigan State returns veteran starters Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard, Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko from last year's Sweet 16 team. Jaden Akins declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining collegiate eligibility. Izzo also recruited the nation's fourth-ranked freshman class, including Xavier Booker (No. 9), Jeremy Fears (No. 29), Coen Carr (No. 50) and Gehrig Normand (No. 104).

The Hoosiers haven't fared well in recent years at Iowa, either, losing three of their last four games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Indiana blew an 18-point first-half lead at Iowa last year, but will only face the Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall in 2023-24. Iowa has some level of uncertainty as things currently stand, with Kris Murray declaring for the NBA Draft, Connor McCaffery and Filip Rebraca graduating and Ahron Ulis transferring. The return of Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort and Patrick McCaffery gives Iowa solid core.

The Hoosiers also avoided a trip to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Northwestern's campus, where they've lost five of their last six games. Boo Buie and Chase Audige declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining their collegiate eligibility, and their decision will determine the Wildcats' ceiling for next year after finishing second in the Big Ten and earning a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23.

Any road game in the Big Ten is difficult, but the Hoosiers won't have to play at three venues where they've really struggled in recent years.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• JOHNSON GRANTED SIXTH YEAR: After missing most of the 2022-23 season with a broken foot, Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
• POTENTIAL TRANSFER PORTAL TARGETS: After landing transfers Kel'el Ware and Payton Sparks, Indiana missed on a few of its biggest transfer portal targets over the last week. Here are a few potential options as Indiana looks to complete its roster. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN OPPONENTS ANNOUNCED: The Big Ten conference released the full 20-game conference slate for the 2023-24 Big Ten men's basketball season. Dates, times and television information will be announced at a later date. CLICK HERE