INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS GAME NOTES
(IU RELEASE)
GAME NOTES
Opening Tip
• The Indiana Hoosiers will open the 2026-27 season against Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Ian Plaskoff (PxP), Ryan LaPedis (Analyst), and Kelsea Wilson (Sideline) will handle the B1G+ stream.
• Eastern Illinois is under the direction of 23rd-year head coach Marty Simmons, who enters his sixth season in Charleston, Ill. He has won 336 games in his coaching career that spans stops at Wartburg College (1996-97), SIUE (2002-07), Evansville (2007-18), and Eastern Illinois (2021-current).
• The Panthers lost all five starters from last season’s team that finished 13-20. The team returns three letterwinners: sophomore guard Markus Blackwell, fifth-year wing JT Elder, and senior forward Andrew Austin.
Game Information
Monday, Nov. 2 • 7 PM ET • Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: B1G+ – Ian Plaskoff (PxP), Ryan LaPedis (Analyst), Kelsea Wilson (Sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network – Don Fischer (PxP) Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick (Studio)
History: Indiana leads, 3-0
Last: IU 90, EIU 55 on Nov. 10, 2024 (Bloomington)
Series History
• Indiana has toppled Eastern Illinois in all three previous matchups in the series by an average margin of 37.7 points.
• The programs first met in the opening round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Indiana won the contest by a score of 94-55 behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from All-American Alan Henderson.
• IU beat EIU twice in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The first came in an 88-49 result on Nov. 13, 2015, with the most recent a 90-55 triumph on Nov. 10, 2024.
The Hoosiers in Home Openers
• Indiana holds a 52-3 (.945) record in home openers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall since the facility opened for the 1971-72 season. The Hoosiers have won eight straight home openers.
• Head coach Darian DeVries enters the 2026-27 season with an unbeaten 8-0 career record in home openers. The Hoosiers defeated Alabama A&M by a score of 98-51 to open the 2025-26 season, the first game of the DeVries Era.
Hoops Hall Honors for the Hoosiers
• Fourth-year guard Markus Burton was named one of 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Bob Cousy Award, named after the Class of 1971 Hall of Famer, recognizes the top point guard in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. He is joined by Big Ten guards Elliot Cadeau (Michigan) and Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State) on the preseason list.
• Third-year forward Aiden Sherrell was selected to the preseason top 20 watchlist for the 2027 Karl Malone Award, named after the Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, honors the top power forward in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball. Big Ten bigs David Mirkovic (Illinois), J.P. Estrella (Michigan), Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Minnesota), and Caden Pierce (Purdue) were also on the list.
COMPLETE NOTES: https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/2026/10/29/26-27_GM1_EIU.pdf
EASTERN ILLINOIS GAME NOTES: https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/2026/10/29/2026-27_EIUMBB-Notes_atIndiana_G1.pdf
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