Yardbarker
x

After a few years of lackluster non-conference schedules for the Indiana basketball program, head coach Mike Woodson has changed that narrative.

That new trend seems to be continuing as the Hoosiers are expected to be part of the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis event down in Nassau, Bahamas, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

Indiana is expected to join Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Creighton, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Davidson in the field.

The event is part of ‘Feast Week’ that takes place during Thanksgiving Week.

This will be Indiana’s second trip to the Bahamas since Woodson took over. The Hoosiers went to Nassau as part of an international trip ahead of his first season.

Woodson has made it a priority to get Indiana back in the national spotlight and a major part of that is playing a tough national schedule.

Indiana wraps up a home-and-home matchup with Kansas this season as well as participating in the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden where its first opponent will be defending-champion UConn. Then, it will play either Texas or Louisville.

The Hoosiers also travel to Atlanta this year to face Auburn.

Last season, Indiana traveled to Las Vegas to take on Arizona as well.

“I think it’s important to prepare yourself with high-level competition as much as possible as your team gets ready for a 20-game Big Ten schedule,” Woodson said last season. “I think you’ve got to challenge your team as you move forward. As we’re building this, we’ve got to challenge ourselves with big time programs.”

Indiana has made it to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the 2014-15 / 15-16 seasons.

“My thing is I take a season one game at a time, one practice at a time,” Woodson said previously. “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.”

This article first appeared on Hoosier Illustrated and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.