With the 2023-2024 college basketball season slowly getting closer and closer, predictions of how successful teams will be are starting to ramp up by the fans and media. In the latest ESPN NCAA Tournament Bracketology by Joe Lunardi, Indiana basketball is ‘on the bubble’ as one of the ‘last four byes.’
The other three teams include Florida, Clemson and West Virginia. Along with Indiana, three other Big Ten teams are projected on the bubble which includes Rutgers, Ohio State and Iowa.
Mike Woodson will be looking to lead the Hoosiers to their third straight NCAA Tournament berth. Indiana basketball has advanced further and further each of the last two years in the NCAA Tournament with most recently getting to the Round of 32 before falling to Miami (FL).
Indiana basketball has made it to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the 2014-15 / 15-16 seasons.
Often times, when a high major program is looking to build a solid NCAA Tournament resume, beefing up to their non-conference schedule with high level opponents is the route they tend to go. When Woodson took over the program, he made it one of his goals to get Indiana basketball back to a national level and compete with the best of the best.
Between setting up a home-and-home matchup with Kansas beginning last season to a neutral site game against Arizona last year as well as the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden and a neutral site game against Auburn this year, Woodson has put Indiana basketball back on that national level that he wanted to.
“I think our non-conference schedule will prepare us for the toughness of the Big Ten,” Woodson said previously. “I am thrilled with the chance to return to Madison Square Garden and Atlanta for three great games against high-major opponents.”
“My thing is I take a season one game at a time, one practice at a time,” Woodson added. “Yes, we’ve got goals. I can’t say this loud enough, guys: I came back here to win Big Ten titles and a national title. That’s all I want.
“I’m not going to push the team in any other direction. If they’re scared of that challenge, then they shouldn’t be here. That’s kind of how I look at it.”
Indiana will play 2-of-3 of Texas, Louisville, and reigning national champion UConn at the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The 2023-2024 Indiana basketball schedule is currently set with dates for non-conference as well as the opponents in the Big Ten.
Indiana’s ‘unofficial’ start of the season is Hoosier Hysteria on Homecoming Weekend, Friday, Oct. 20.
More must-reads: