Indiana Men's Basketball Schedules Open Scrimmage, Giving Fans Chance to See New Team

Indiana men's basketball will host an open intrasquad scrimmage in front of fans at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the program announced Monday afternoon on X.

Gates will open at 5:30 p.m., and the event will be free. Indiana asks attendees to bring a canned food item to donate to the Hoosiers Hills Food Bank.

The scrimmage marks the first chance for Indiana fans to see coach Darian DeVries and his 13-man roster in action. The Hoosiers played three exhibition games before a light crowd in Puerto Rico, going 3-0 with victories over Universidad de Bayamon and twice over Serbian professional team Mega Superbet.

Indiana's scrimmage comes the day after "Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood," an event with player introductions, skills competitions and meet-and-greet opportunities that effectively replaces Hoosier Hysteria. Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood runs from 8-10 p.m. on Oct. 2 across the 300, 400 and 500 blocks of Kirkwood Avenue.

Under DeVries, the Hoosiers are trying to reconnect with the Bloomington community. Indiana's roster helped freshmen move into their dorms, while DeVries spoke at the Monroe County YMCA and met customers at the mid-August debut of apparel store Homefield at Tracks on Kirkwood.

Another value to Indiana's intrasquad scrimmage is the chance for the Hoosiers to play in front of a large crowd before the season begins. Much of Indiana's new-look roster arrived in Bloomington from non-Power Four schools and haven't played in arenas as big as Assembly Hall with fans cheering for, not against, them.

And while there will be no traditional Hoosier Hysteria, Indiana men's basketball is making its program more accessible publicly than in several years.