The Big Ten released the complete men’s basketball conference schedule with the dates of each contest for the upcoming 2018-19 season. The headline from a conference-wide perspective is the switch to a 20-game schedule. This change resulted in December Big Ten basketball. The Indiana December games were reported yesterday and you can see those as part of the overall Big Ten schedule below.
All Big Ten teams will play seven teams home and away, three teams only at home, and three teams only away.
While we have known IU’s 2018-19 Big Ten home and away opponents for some time, the nuances are now complete.
Indiana also announced on Tuesday that it will play one exhibition game in 2018. The Hoosiers will host Southern Indiana on November 1 in that preseason tilt.
With those components of the schedule all now reported, the entire 2018-19 schedule is finished except for forthcoming details as it relates to television and times.
Here is Indiana’s conference schedule as released by the Big Ten:
- December 1 – vs. Northwestern
- December 4 – at Penn State
- January 3 – vs. Illinois
- January 6 – at Michigan
- January 11 – at Maryland
- January 14 – vs. Nebraska
- January 19 – at Purdue
- January 22 – at Northwestern
- January 25 – vs. Michigan
- January 30 – at Rutgers
- February 2 – at Michigan State
- February 7 – vs. Iowa
- February 10 – vs. Ohio State
- February 16 – at Minnesota
- February 19 – vs. Purdue
- February 22 – at Iowa
- February 26 – vs. Wisconsin
- March 2 – vs. Michigan State
- March 7 – at Illinois
- March 10 – vs. Rutgers
You can now view the complete 31 game schedule, including nonconference and exhibition games here.
Observations:
- Conference play will begin in November — the first time ever in league history.
- Indiana will get off to a bit of a soft start in December with a home game against Northwestern and a road game at Penn State. Both teams are generally expected to finish in the bottom half of the league. When conference play resumes in January, the Hoosiers will host Illinois, another likely bottom half team.
- Indiana will have a long holiday break — from December 22 to January 3 with no games.
- There doesn’t appear to be any particularly brutal stretches of opponents but there is a tough road stretch. The toughest might be January 6 – 19 when IU plays Michigan, Maryland, Nebraska and Purdue, with only the Nebraska game at home.
- Another road game immediately following this stretch vs. Northwestern makes four of five games on the road. Looking out three more games makes six of eight on the road.
- There is never more than two consecutive home or road games in conference play.
- There are no games on just one day of rest after four such instances last year.
- Purdue on the 19’s — the rivalry games are on January and February 19.
- The Hoosiers will finish with three out of four, and six of nine at home with a chance to close out conference play strong.
- Indiana’s regular season will conclude 15 days later than last year’s February 23 conference finale vs. Ohio State.
- The Big Ten Tournament will be back to its normal time of year, March 13-17 in Chicago.
