IU Basketball Returns
Indiana University Returns to Evansville for WKU Exhibition, New Roster Strengthens Outlook
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Key Points
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Two outlets report different start times for the Evansville exhibition vs Western Kentucky: Courier & Press lists 3 p.m. CT on Oct. 25, while IndyStar lists a 4 p.m. start for the same game.
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Nonconference schedule includes home games vs Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine and Bowling Green slated to be played at Assembly Hall, highlighting a planned Bloomington-area home portion rather than all games at neutral sites.
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New roster additions bring notable collegiate accolades: Markus Burton led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore, and Aiden Sherrell led the SEC in blocked shots as a sophomore.
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Historical context of the WKU series: Indiana and Western Kentucky have met three times in regular-season play with IU holding a 2-1 edge; notable games include 1984 in Bloomington (IU 80-57) and 1967 in Dallas (110-91).
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This exhibition will be IU's first trip to Southwestern Indiana for basketball since 2011, marking a return to the Ford Center in Evansville after more than a decade.
Indiana University men's basketball will play an exhibition game against Western Kentucky on October 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville, IndyStar reported. The game is IU's second announced exhibition for 2026-27, joining an October 18 matchup against North Carolina at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Ford Center holds about 11,000 fans. It marks IU's first trip to Southwestern Indiana for basketball since November 2011, when the Hoosiers beat the University of Evansville 94-73 in the venue's opening game, according to Inside the Hall.
IU Returns to Evansville After 15-Year Absence
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET) on October 25, though IndyStar listed the start as 4 p.m. while WKDQ reported 3 p.m. — a difference of time-zone framing rather than a factual conflict. Tickets go on sale June 26 at 10 a.m. CT through Ticketmaster and the Ford Center Ticket Office, with VIP hospitality packages also available, according to WKDQ.
The series between IU and WKU is short. IU leads 2-1 all time. The two teams last met in 1993, when IU won 65-55. Before that, IU won 80-57 in Bloomington in 1984. WKU's only win came in 1967 in Dallas, 110-91, according to IU Athletics records cited in the live research briefing.
DeVries Building Chemistry With 11 New Faces
Head coach Darian DeVries is entering his second season at IU. He has structured the preseason around building team chemistry. The Hoosiers will play in the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru from July 20 to August 1. That trip, plus the two October exhibitions, gives a nearly all-new roster around seven high-level games before the season opener, according to WISH-TV.
Sophomore forward Trent Sisley is the only returning scholarship player. He averaged 4.2 points per game as a freshman and is a native of Santa Claus, Indiana — a draw for the Southern Indiana fanbase. The roster around him has been rebuilt through the transfer portal, with IU's incoming class ranked No. 2 nationally, per 247Sports cited in research.
Transfer Additions Bring Elite Individual Résumés
Guard Markus Burton arrives from Notre Dame, where he led the ACC in scoring at 23.5 points per game as a sophomore before a broken ankle ended his 2025-26 season. He is a Mishawaka, Indiana native and the 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball. Forward Aiden Sherrell transfers from Alabama, where he ranked 13th nationally in blocked shots at 2.2 per game last season, according to 14News.
IU also added Samet Yigitoglu and Bryce Lindsay through the portal. DeVries now has a group built almost entirely from new pieces. He has been direct about using the Peru trip and both exhibitions as tests for a team that lost its top seven scorers from the prior year, per IndyStar.
WKU Enters as a Tested Mid-Major Opponent
Western Kentucky finished 18-14 overall and 11-9 in Conference USA last season. Head coach Hank Plona is entering his third year with a 35-29 career record at the school. Guard Teagan Moore averaged 18.7 points per game in 2025-26 and earned All-Conference USA First Team honors, giving WKU a proven offensive threat, according to WISH-TV.
IU's full nonconference schedule also includes neutral-site games against Kentucky on November 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium and Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Home games at Assembly Hall are set against Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine and Bowling Green, per IndyStar.
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