Indiana Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Regular Season Games
These are the regular season games that are the typical part of a team’s schedule. No exhibitions, in-season tournaments, named rivalry games, or challenges are included in this section.
November 7 vs. Florida Gulf Coast
Florida Gulf Coast is not to be confused with Florida Atlantic, but the Eagles have their own NCAA Tournament history, dating back to when “Dunk City” ruled the world. The central figures from those days are long gone, but FGCU is back on the rise. They are coached by former Penn State leader Pat Chambers and count a road win over USC last year in their ledger. They are led by former Purdue guard Isaiah Thompson (14.9 points per game last year) and should compete for an Atlantic Sun title this year, making them a tough out.
November 12 vs. Army
If the Hoosiers didn’t get their first win against Florida Gulf Coast, they should against Army, which should not be a good team this year. The Black Knights managed to eke out a winning record last year, but fell quickly in the Patriot League tournament. A fun fact: these teams have never played one another.
November 16 vs. Wright State
The Wright State Raiders have been a factor in the Horizon League on a regular basis and should be again this coming season. The team hasn’t posted an overall losing record since the 2014-15 season and brings back guard Trey Calvin, who finished in the top 25 in the country with 20.3 points per game last year. This is a team that beat Louisville on the road last year, though that obviously looked less impressive as the year went on.
November 26 vs. Harvard (in Indianapolis, IN)
For the first time in more than 50 years, Harvard and Indiana will meet, this time at a “neutral” site that will be anything but. After a run of dominance in the 2010s, Tommy Amaker’s team has been more pedestrian in recent years, finishing exactly .500 overall in each of the last two years, along with losing records in the Ivy League. This could be another difficult year after the team lost more than half of its minutes from a year ago. One player who is fighting for minutes is Matt Filipowski, Duke star Kyle’s twin brother.
December 9 vs. Auburn (in Atlanta, GA)
If the Harvard game is essentially at home, the Auburn game is essentially on the road, arguably the closest thing the Hoosiers have to a road tilt in their non-conference schedule. Maybe Mike Woodson will hook up with the local NBA team, which he coached in the 2000s. These teams appear to be relatively evenly matched, though most projects give the Tigers a slight edge headed into the season.
December 16 vs. Kansas
After Kansas beat the Hoosiers in Lawrence last year, the Jayhawks return the favor by traveling to Bloomington, giving Indiana a shot at a signature non-conference win. It will be the first true road game for Bill Self’s team, so the crowd could get involved a rattle Kansas a little bit. That being said, the Jayhawks are a consensus top team in the preseason rankings for a reason.
December 19 vs. Morehead State
The schedule easens up slightly when Morehead State comes to town for the second straight year. The Eagles made it to the NIT last year and are a perennial factor in the Ohio Valley Conference. But they’ve never beaten the Hoosiers and were destroyed in Bloomington last year, 88-53, the season opener for Indiana.
December 21 vs. North Alabama
North Alabama is another team that has visiting Assembly Hall in recent years. The Atlantic Sun team finished with a winning record last year and went to the CBI. It might be tough for them to repeat the feat. Jacari Lane is fun to watch though – he averaged 12.8 points per game last season, despite mostly coming off the bench as a freshman. North Alabama lost by 35 points to the Hoosiers in 2020.
December 29 vs. Kennesaw State
Indiana closes non-conference play with another intriguing mid-major. The Owls visited Indiana last year and gave them some problems, although they were without Jackson-Davis. The teams were actually tied headed into the half, though the Hoosiers ultimately won by 14. Kennesaw State made its first NCAA Tournament last year, leading to an exodus of some of its top talent, as well as its head coach.