Indiana men's basketball's 2024-25 scheduled was released by the Big Ten conference on Thursday afternoon.
The Hoosiers once again face a 20-game conference slate with two games coming on December before Big Ten play picks back up in January.
Here's a quick three takeaways from Indiana's 2024-25 full schedule release.
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As is typical, Indiana has two Big Ten games intertwined with non-conference play in December.
After hosting Minnesota to open up the initial slate of Big Ten games, the Hoosiers head west -- no, not that far west -- to take on Nebraska in Lincoln.
The team that officially ended the Hoosiers' season a year ago, the Cornhuskers will represent a tough, early season challenge for Indiana.
The Hoosiers's 2024-25 schedule lacks a ton of marquee non-conference games, meaning the December date with Nebraska should give a good look at where Indiana is at as a team.
While the Cornhuskers are projected to be a middle-of-the-road team in the Big Ten this season, Nebraska beat Indiana three times a season ago en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
A mid-December tilt on the road at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Nebraska will be telling of what the ceiling truly is for this Indiana team.
JANUARY, EARLY FEBRUARY PRESENTS A CHALLENGE
Perhaps the toughest stretch of Indiana's season will come during just over a month long stretch from early January into the beginning of February.
During a stretch of 11 games in 37 days, the Hoosiers will play seven games away from home.
The stretch looks as follows:
January 5: at Penn State
January 8: vs. USC
January 11: at Iowa
January 14: vs. Illinois
January 17 at Ohio State
January 22 at Northwestern
January 26: vs. Maryland
January 31: at Purdue
February 4: at Wisconsin
February 8: vs. Michigan
February 11: at Michigan State
The stretch includes a trip to the Palestra to take on Penn State, a visit to Carver-Hawkeye arena to battle Iowa, as well as consecutive road games at Purdue and Wisconsin as the calendar flips from January to February.
As is the case with the early season contest in Lincoln against Nebraska, this stretch of 11 games will be telling for Indiana, and it was likely define the Hoosiers' 2024-25 season.
INDIANA'S LONE TRIP OUT WEST COMES IN EARLY MARCH
Indiana makes just one trip out to the west coast this season to face off against some of the conference newcomers and it comes at the end of the conference season.
The Hoosiers' will travel to the pacific northwest for a March 1 meeting with Washington before heading to Eugene for a March 4 battle with Oregon.
Indiana's trip out west comes at a potentially pivotal point in the season. If the Hoosiers are competing for a Big Ten title late in the season -- Indiana is projected to finish somewhere around the top of the conference this year -- then the two contests against the Huskies and the Ducks could prove to be big ones.
The Hoosiers' trip out west late in the season won't be Indiana's first meeting of the season against one of the former Pac-12 teams.
Indiana's first taste of west coast competition on the hardwood comes in that January stretch, when the Hoosiers welcome USC to town. Indiana will also play host to UCLA in a Valentine's Day showdown in mid-February.
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