Where Are The Safe Zones And Trouble Spots In Indiana’s Big Ten Schedule?

A deep dive into what lies ahead in the Big Ten as Indiana’s men’s basketball schedule unfolds.

Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) passes inside to Malik Reneau (5) during the first half of the Indiana versus Michigan State men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, March 10, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – At long last, the Big Ten Conference announced its men’s basketball slate for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday.

With round-robin schedules long consigned to history, the way the Big Ten schedule unfolds has a big influence on the season.

Opponents were announced in May, but the order is important. You want to catch teams at the right times. You want to have long trips on the schedule at the most opportune times.

First, here’s the opponents Indiana will play for the 2024-25 season:

Home: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Rutgers, Southern California, UCLA

Away: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin.

Home-and-home: Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue

Big Ten games begin with the now-established two-game appetizer in December. It’s all Big Ten-all-the-time starting in January.

December

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams (3) shoots the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Anthony Leal (3) defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana home game: Minnesota, Dec. 9

Indiana road game: Nebraska, Dec. 13.

Analysis: The December games are understandably forgotten come March, but they are important. The obvious goal is to give yourself a good head start.

Forgotten from the up-and-down 2023-24 season is that the Hoosiers did go 2-0 in its December 2023 Big Ten games – a win at Michigan and a home victory over Maryland. Combined with the 4-0 regular season finish, that’s where a sizable chunk of Indiana’s Big Ten victories came from.

Last season was the only one in the Mike Woodson era that Indiana went 2-0 in its early Big Ten games. The general pattern has been win at home, lose on the road.

These two games were previously reported, so there’s been some speculation from fans about the supposed ease of this start. But that is a bit optimistic.

Minnesota should be handled at home, but the road game at Nebraska is a potential trip-wire. Lest Hoosiers fans forget, the Cornhuskers have won three in a row over Indiana.

Indiana killer Keisei Tominaga is gone, but guard Brice Williams has been good against the Hoosiers too, averaging 18.6 points in three 2024 victories for Nebraska. Forward Juwan Gary also returns, and former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian has moved into different red-and-white colors.

Certainly, Indiana is capable of going 2-0. That early trip to Lincoln, Neb., will be a fascinating barometer of where the Hoosiers are as a team.

January

A general view before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Purdue Boilermakers at The Palestra. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Indiana home games: Rutgers, Jan. 2; USC, Jan. 8; Illinois, Jan. 14; Maryland, Jan. 26.

Indiana road games: Penn State at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Jan. 5; Iowa, Jan. 11; Ohio State, Jan. 17; Northwestern, Jan. 22; Purdue, Jan. 31.

Analysis: Indiana needs to do better in January. After going 6-3 in January in Woodson’s first season in 2022, they’ve shrunk to 5-4 in 2023 and 3-5 in 2024. The Hoosiers have suffered three-game losing streaks in the last two Januarys.

Having five road games won’t make ending the January blues easy, but there’s opportunity here.

Playing Rutgers at home early could help Indiana get off to the desired result. Rutgers has super freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, so the Scarlet Knights are projected to be a top 25 team.

The game at the Palestra against Penn State will also be pivotal.

Indiana has really struggled against the Nittany Lions – Penn State has won four of the last six meetings – with Indiana winning the most recent meeting by two at the 2024 Big Ten Tournament. Penn State returns most of its core from the 2024 team, so this will be a challenge.

Get past those two, and the schedule has enticing possibilities. USC at home and Iowa on the road are both winnable. Illinois comes to Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall after that, and the range of possibilities for the Fighting Illini runs from deep NCAA Tournament team to middle of the Big Ten pack.

The last half of January is tough. The Hoosiers go to Ohio State, who should be improved after two seasons of mediocrity. Another of Indiana’s recent bogey teams – Northwestern – hosts Indiana after that. Boo Buie is gone, but three other starters return. The Wildcats have won four in a row over the Hoosiers.

After a winnable home contest against Maryland, the annual grudge match against Purdue at Mackey Arena concludes the month. Yes, Zach Edey has moved on to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. No, the Boilermakers aren’t going anywhere as it relates to contending for the Big Ten title.

February

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin speaks with UCLA Bruins guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Indiana home games: Michigan, Feb. 8; UCLA, Feb. 14; Purdue, Feb. 23; Penn State, Feb. 23.

Indiana road games: Wisconsin, Feb. 4; Michigan State, Jan. 11.

Analysis: The flow of the month favors the Hoosiers with a lengthy stretch at home. The Hoosiers get an eight-day break near the end of the month. That will be a welcome development for tired legs and minds, regardless of how well the Hoosiers are doing.

The month begins with a trip to Wisconsin that would typically be dreaded, but the Badgers have had some roster churn. Indiana hasn’t won in Madison since 1998, but this might be the year that drought ends.

Michigan’s visit on Feb. 8 will be interesting; it will be Greene County native and Indiana graduate Dusty May’s return to Bloomington.

A trip to Michigan State follows, always a challenging game. The Hoosiers won’t leave Bloomington for the rest of the month after that Feb. 11 contest.

The Hoosiers will only have two days to prepare for a high-profile Friday night against UCLA on Valentine’s Day. The Bruins have been touted for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 16-17 season in 2024.

After its eight-day break, Purdue comes to Assembly Hall. Having eight days to prepare for your rival? Not a bad thing.

Indiana finishes the month with a winnable home game on paper against Penn State – Indiana has never lost three in a row in Bloomington against the Nittany Lions, and they need to avoid making the wrong history on Feb. 26.

March

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman talks with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Indiana home game: Ohio State, March 8.

Indiana road games: Washington, March 1; Oregon, March 4.

Analysis: This is a potential minefield for the Hoosiers. The Pacific Northwest trip was going to be a challenge regardless of where it fell on the schedule.

Having it late in the slate? It strikes me as either a momentum-booster or a momentum-killer. Last year, Indiana used a couple of tricky road games at Maryland and Minnesota to save their regular season, so it’s certainly possible to use a road trip as a springboard.

Washington should be a winnable game if Indiana is able to manage the itinerary of the trip correctly. That won’t be easy considering there’s just two days between the Feb. 26 Penn State home game and the Washington contest in Seattle. Obviously, one of those days will be devoted to travel.

Oregon is also beatable, though the Ducks are expected to be a cut above Washington among the Pacific Northwest teams.

Indiana finishes with Ohio State at home. Point guard Bruce Thornton is back for the Buckeyes, joined by South Carolina transfer guard Meechie Johnson (14.1 ppg), who has returned to the Buckeyes after leaving in 2022.

Samford transfer guard Ques Glover (14.7 ppg) and San Diego State transfer forward Micah Parrish (9.3 ppg) are expected to make Ohio State better, though the Hoosiers have done well against Ohio State at home, winning four in a row in the series in Bloomington.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• INDIANA'S BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED: The Big Ten announced the men's basketball conference schedule on Thursday. CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA OPTIMISTIC TREY GALLOWAY WILL BE BACK TO FULL CONTACT SOON: Trey Galloway and Mike Woodson gave an update on Galloway's recovery from knee surgery. CLICK HERE.

• EVERYTHING MIKE WOODSON HAD TO SAY AT MEDIA DAY: Indiana had its basketball media day on Wednesday. Here's everything Mike Woodson said. CLICK HERE.

• BASKETBALL IS BACK: Tom Brew gives his thoughts on the Indiana basketball season to come. CLICK HERE.