Busting Brackets
Fansided

Indiana Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Hoosiers

By Lukas Harkins

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers during a game against the Michigan State Spartans in overtime at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers during a game against the Michigan State Spartans in overtime at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 22: Coach Miller instructs. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 22: Coach Miller instructs. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Schedule Analysis

Indiana’s non-conference schedule is not a complete gauntlet but they are a few games definitely worth monitoring with regards to the team’s future NCAA Tournament resume. Those contests, though, will come after a set of tune-up games to begin the year. The Hoosiers start their regular season with seven straight home games against mid-major competition before remaining in Bloomington to take on Florida State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3. That should be the first true test for the team as they should end the opening month at 7-0.

Indiana’s first true road game will actually come against Big Ten foe Wisconsin on Dec. 6. They will follow that contest with a neutral-site non-conference battle against UConn before returning home for their second December conference game, this time against Nebraska. Coach Miller’s squad will round out non-conference play over the following weeks with back-to-back tough games against Notre Dame (N) and Arkansas (H), although both are played within one hour of campus.

This is, on the whole, not an exceedingly difficult non-conference schedule. The Hoosiers’ average opponent preseason KenPom ranking sits at just __ as they play a bunch of mid-majors early in the slate. Those matchups will hopefully serve as strong tune-up games before their tougher games start to occur. Indiana might have a tough time playing away from home in Big Ten play considering they will not play a single true road game in non-conference play.

Once completely immersed in the Big Ten schedule, Indiana will be challenged night in and night out. Here is a look at the conference schedule breakdown for the Hoosiers this year:

Home Only: Northwestern, Michigan State, and Iowa.

Away Only: Rutgers, Michigan, and Illinois.

Both Home + Away: Everyone else.

Home/Indiana Hoosiers