Tribune staff reports
The Indiana University men’s basketball program announced their 2021-22 schedule on Wednesday as the entire Big Ten had its schedule released on the Big Ten Network.
The IU season will begin on Nov. 9 against Eastern Michigan and it will mark the beginning of the coaching tenure of Mike Woodson, who begins his first season as head coach.
Indiana will play 19 times in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall this season, including 10 Big Ten matchups, which begins Dec. 4 against Nebraska.
“I’m excited for our team to get back on the floor,” Woodson said in a press release. “It was nice to get a couple of games in the Bahamas, but we have to get ourselves ready for some challenging non-conference games and the extremely tough Big Ten season.”
Following the EMU game, IU will host another MAC opponent, Northern Illinois on Nov. 12. The Hoosiers will take on St. John’s of the Big East in the Gavitt Games on Nov. 17 and then host three games in the Hoosier Challenge against Louisiana (Nov. 21), Jackson State (Nov. 23) and Marshall (Nov. 27). Indiana will close out November in Syracuse on Nov. 30 for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Hoosiers open the December schedule with their Big Ten home opener against Nebraska then travels to Madison to face Wisconsin on Dec. 8. IU will then host Merrimack on Dec. 12.
In the final year of the Crossroads Classic, Indiana will play Notre Dame at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Dec. 18. Indiana will close out its nonconference slate with Northern Kentucky on Dec. 22 and UNC Asheville on Dec. 29.
The final 18 games on the schedule will consist of conference matchups with the Hoosiers traveling to Penn State on Jan. 2. A two-game homestand awaits with Ohio State visiting Bloomington on Jan. 6 and Minnesota coming to town on Jan. 9. Indiana will take a two-game road trip to Iowa on Jan. 13 and to Nebraska on Jan. 17 before returning home for three games against Purdue (Jan. 20), Michigan (Jan. 23) and Penn State (Jan. 26). The Hoosiers will finish the month at Maryland on Jan. 29.
Illinois will visit Bloomington Feb. 5 and then IU heads to Northwestern on Feb. 8 and will be at Michigan State Feb. 12. IU is back home against Wisconsin Feb. 15 and then visits Ohio State on Feb. 19. A home game with Maryland on Feb. 24 coincides with a week that also sees the Hoosiers travel to Minnesota on Feb. 27.
IU will host Rutgers the final week of the season on March 2 before ending the regular season on March 5 at Purdue. The 25th Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 9-13.
IU is not expected to schedule any traditional exhibition games this season against non-Division opponents. Game times and television designations will be released by the Big Ten in the coming weeks.