Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

Football takes center stage this week with the conclusion of spring ball and a record number of IU players being drafted. Turning to basketball, yet another non-conference opponent was announced, and Indiana is projected in the NCAA Tournament after their massive portal haul.

Additionally, the women’s basketball team added important players from the portal. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing to play well.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• Spring Practice Concludes For Football As Record Number Of Hoosiers Drafted

• Eastern Illinois Added to Hoosiers’ 2026-2027 Schedule

• IU Projected As NCAA Tournament Team After Portal Overhaul

• Women’s Basketball Adds Key Players In Transfer Portal

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Play

Banner #1: Spring Practice Concludes For Football As Record Number Of Hoosiers Drafted

Spring football came to a close for the defending national champion Hoosiers with the annual scrimmage as Curt Cignetti’s third version of his squad gets set for this fall. However, the biggest part of the practice was not what occurred on the field, but instead what happened at the same time about 400 miles to the east in Pennsylvania.

This is where the NFL Draft took place, and the IU had QB Fernando Mendoza taken with the number one pick overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza was not the only player taken in the first round that night, as WR Omar Cooper went no. 30 to the New York Jets.

The run of Indiana players did not stop in subsequent days, as CB DeAngelo Ponds also went to the Jets and RB Kaelon Black was taken by the San Francisco 49ers on Friday. The final day of the draft doubled that number to eight total.

The four to hear their names called on Saturday were WR Elijah Sarratt to the Baltimore Ravens, TE Riley Nowakowski to the Pittsburgh Steelers, C Pat Coogan to the Tennessee Titans, and LB Aiden Fisher to the Houston Texans. The eight players drafted were the most Hoosiers ever taken in a single year.

Also, six undrafted guys signed free agent contracts, including RB Roman Hemby and WR EJ Williams joining Mendoza in Las Vegas, DE Mikail Kamara joining Black in San Francisco, and S Devan Boykin joining Nowakowski in Pittsburgh. Finally, S Louis Moore inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins, and LS Mark Langston with the Buffalo Bills.

Banner #2: Eastern Illinois Added to Hoosiers’ 2026-2027 Schedule

As IU filled in its roster this week, another non-conference matchup was announced. The Hoosiers will reportedly host Eastern Illinois on November 2 in their season opener.

The Panthers finished last season 13-20 overall and ranked No. 324 in KenPom. Indiana has won all three previous meetings, most recently in 2024.

This game becomes the fifth piece of the puzzle for the pre-Big Ten portion of the schedule. It joins previously announced contests against Bellarmine, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Syracuse.

Banner #3: IU Projected As NCAA Tournament Team After Portal Overhaul

After seemingly hitting a grand slam in the transfer portal last week, the projections for next season appear to be much brighter now. The six committed prospects from last week (Markus Burton, Darren Harris, Bryce Lindsay, Jaeden Mustaf, Aiden Sherrell, Samet Yigitoglu) all come in relatively highly in the national rankings and is also amongst the best portal classes in the country.

This infusion of talent moved Indiana into the projected top-25 for 2026-2027. How it plays out on the court remains to be seen, but the Hoosiers are certainly expected to end their three-year NCAA Tourney drought and comfortably make March Madness.

Banner #4: Women’s Basketball Adds Key Players In Transfer Portal

The IU men were not alone in making a splash in the portal. The Indiana women also made significant additions here.

It was not the entire roster overhaul of their male counterparts. This is due to the fact that the women return three starters and bring in the sixth-ranked high school class in the country.

As a result, the portal is more about filling in around the edges for them. After adding Iowa State’s Alisa Williams the day the portal opened, and Nebraska’s Jess Petrie later, two more key additions were added this week.

These players coming to Bloomington for 2026-2027 both have extensive starting five experience for power five squads in positions of need. One is knock-down shooter Kenzie Hare from Iowa State, while the other is USC PG and defensive specialist Malia Samuels. Also, season tickets are now on sale for next year.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

The Back Home Network has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Play

• Softball had another solid week, knocking off Valparaiso and traditional power Michigan as they continue to cruise towards a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth. They did, however, fall to the Wolverines as well as a solid Iowa squad.

• Baseball beat Ball State and Abilene Christian out of conference. However, they lost a series at home to Iowa and are now in serious danger of missing the Big Ten Tourney for the first time in 15 years.

• Men’s tennis fell to Michigan but still qualified for the conference tournament, where they defeated Oregon before falling to Michigan State.

• Men’s golf finished 12th at the Hoosier Collegiate Invitational.

• Track and field competed at the Clark Woods Invite.

• Rowing competed at the Big Ten Invite.

• Wrestling has 10 Hoosiers competing at the U.S. Open.

• Finally, the annual Little 500 saw the Black Key Bulls win for the third straight year in the men’s race, and Alpha Chi Omega take the women’s race.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

In this episode of Xs and Joes, Bob Moats and Mike Wiemuth dig into a topic many Indiana fans can feel but struggle to explain: why so much frustration around IU basketball now feels deeper than just wins and losses.

Using recent reactions, historical context, and a few memorable pop-culture references, they explore how decades of unmet expectations have shaped the current mood around the program.

Why IU Fans Are So Angry

The conversation starts with the obvious question—and goes well beyond the surface.

• Why this frustration feels more like exhaustion than outrage

• How years of near-misses, resets, and false starts compound over time

• The difference between a disappointed fan base and a burned-out one

• Why anger often shows up when expectations still exist

The Weight of Three Decades

Indiana’s history matters—but so does everything since.

The guys look at how few truly memorable seasons IU has had in the modern era, and why long stretches of mediocrity hit differently at a program with this much tradition.

• How optimism slowly erodes

• Why “just be patient” lands differently now than it once did

Dusty May, Braden Smith, and the Ones That Got Away

Recent tournament storylines reopened old wounds.

The episode explores why certain names trigger such strong reactions from IU fans—and why those reactions are often about more than one player or one coach.

Can Darian DeVries Change the Mood?

There’s real momentum from the portal haul, but skepticism remains.

• Why this offseason has created genuine intrigue

• What still has to happen before fans fully buy in

• How year two could shift the entire tone around the program

This Isn’t Just an Indiana Problem

IU may be unique in some ways—but not in this one.

The discussion branches into Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska, and other fan bases dealing with the same collision of history, money, and modern expectations.

Bottom line:

This episode is about more than fan anger. It’s about what happens when a proud program goes too long without giving people a reason to believe—and what it will take to earn that belief back.

This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

The YouTube video is below, and you can listen to the audio wherever podcasts are available.

Use these links to subscribe to the podcast:

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If you thoughts or comments about the episode, feel free to comment on YouTube video, comment below, or reach out to Mike (@M_Wiemuth_) and Bob (@BobMoats) on Twitter or in our BHN Discord.

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On Wednesday, and will discuss the Hoosiers’ activity in the Transfer Portal with another edition of Doing The Work — our show dedicated to the Indiana women’s basketball team.

Watch on our YouTube channel below. (Open the link in YouTube to see a replay of

the show or chat with the WorkAholics during the show.)

Subscribe to Doing The Work

Subscribe to the Doing The Work podcast for free at any of the following places:

• YouTube

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• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS (use this to subscribe in any player)

• Search for “doing the work” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

The roster for next season, which was in its early stages of taking shape last week, is now nearly full and built with high quality players. Also, a non-conference opponent was learned.

Additionally, the women added an important player from the portal, and spring football continues. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing to win.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• IU Has Massive Transfer Portal Week To Build Contender

• Bowling Green Added to Hoosiers’ 2026-2027 Schedule

• Women Add Key Player In Transfer Portal As Well

• Spring Practice Continues For Football

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Winning Ways

Banner #1: IU Has Massive Transfer Portal Week To Build Contender

The Hoosiers seemingly hit a grand slam in the transfer portal this week. IU had four top players visit campus last weekend who were transferring. These prospects were Georgia Tech’s Jaeden Mustaf, Duke’s Darren Harris, Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, and Alabama’s Aiden Sherrell.

Not only did Indiana coach Darien DeVries get all four of these players to commit to play in Bloomington next year. He also managed to reel in SMU’s Samet Yigitoglu and Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay before they made it to campus for a visit.

While IU has gotten top players in the portal in previous years, this time it appears to be well constructed, where the needs fit the profile. The biggest of these is Burton, who is a former Indiana Mr. Basketball and gives the Hoosiers a dynamic point guard who is an elite scorer and can run the offense at a high level. This is something the team has not had since Yogi Ferrell’s time in Bloomington.

In Lindsay, IU gets a top three-point shooter for its backcourt, which is critical in Devries’ system. Meanwhile, Yigitoglu is one of the tallest players in program history, and Sherrell complements him as another big man. However, unlike past renditions of Indiana teams using double post players, Sherrell is a stretch four who can step out and shoot threes and should prevent the lane from getting overly clogged.

Whether Mustaf or Harris gets the final starting spot remains to be seen, but both can drive to the basket and knock down shots from deep. Either way, Indiana now has six players coming from high-level programs, and all but Harris averaged double figures at their previous stop. They will join the returning Trent Sisley (Andrej Acimovic has now entered the portal as well) and the four new freshmen in what is the presumed meat and potatoes of the 2026-2027 roster.

This infusion of talent moved Indiana into the top-15 of offseason projections. How it plays out on the court remains to be seen, but this season has both football and basketball with the top transfer classes in the country at IU, per On3 Sports.

Banner #2: Bowling Green Added to Hoosiers’ 2026-2027 Schedule

As IU filled in its roster this week, another non-conference matchup was announced. The Hoosiers will host Bowling Green on either November 27 or 28.

The Falcons finished last season 18-14 overall and ranked No. 144 in KenPom. Indiana has won all three previous meetings, but the teams have not met since 1998.

Also, this game becomes the fourth piece of the puzzle for the pre-Big Ten portion of the schedule. Its joins previously announced contests against Bellarmine, Kentucky, and Syracuse.

Banner #3: Women Add Key Player In Transfer Portal As Well

The IU men were not alone in making a splash in the portal this week. The Indiana women also made a significant addition here.

It was not the multi-player overhaul of their male counterparts. This is due to the fact that the women return three starters and bring in the sixth-ranked high school class in the country.

As a result, the portal is more about filling in around the edges for them. After adding Iowa State’s Alisa Williams the day the portal opened, the squad made a more noteworthy addition this week. This player committing is Nebraska’s Jess Petrie. She averaged double figures for the Cornhuskers last year and is the most impactful get from the portal since Shay Ciezki two years ago.

Speaking of Ciezki, she had a big moment as well this week. She was signed to a training camp contract by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury after going undrafted during Monday’s draft.

Banner #4: Spring Practice Continues For Football

Spring football continues for IU. The Hoosiers are back on the field practicing now and looking to defend their national championship. Several players and coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media after practice this week.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

Inside the Hall’s Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, Alex Bozich is joined by IU Film Room creator and Greenwood Christian Academy head coach Tony Adragna to discuss Indiana’s transfer portal additions.

The Back Home Network has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Winning Ways

• Softball continued to dominate, completing a sweep of arch-rival Purdue and rolling past Notre Dame. They also have taken a series from Iowa this weekend, but fell to elite Louisville in a nail-biter during the midweek.

• Baseball had mixed results this week, defeating Indiana State as well as Evansville but falling to Maryland. They have also split their first two with Abilene Christian in this weekend’s series.

• Men’s tennis defeated Nebraska but fell to Michigan State.

• Women’s tennis fell to UCLA as well as USC.

• Water Polo lost to Arizona State to close their season,

• Women’s golf finished sixth in the Buckeye Invitational.

• Men’s golf finished 13th at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.

• Track and field competed in multiple different invitationals this weekend.

• Wrestling signed a recruit.

• Finally, the Big Ten is adding a conference tournament for volleyball for the first time next fall.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

In this episode of The Assembly Call, we react to Indiana’s massive transfer portal haul and what it might mean for year two under Darian DeVries.

After a disappointing season, the tone has shifted quickly—and the conversation wrestles with how much of this excitement is justified versus how much still needs to be proven on the court.

Segment 1: Inside Indiana’s Portal Haul

The discussion centers on just how dramatic this roster overhaul has been—and why it feels different from past offseasons.

• Why this group appears more balanced than recent Indiana teams

• How the pieces might actually fit together in a modern offense

• The significance of adding a true lead guard and legit size up front

• A surprise commitment during the show that adds another wrinkle

• Whether this is finally a roster without an obvious fatal flaw

Segment 2: What It Means (and What’s Still Missing)

The excitement is real—but so are the questions.

• How much of last year’s struggles were roster vs. coaching

• Why this offseason suggests the staff may have learned from year one

• The importance of continuity and multi-year players

• What positions still need to be addressed before the roster is complete

• The big unknown: how it all comes together once games actually start

Bottoms line:

There’s real momentum—and a real plan. But this episode makes it clear: April wins don’t mean much unless they translate to November.

Thank you to our sponsors

We appreciate the support of our sponsors who help make our continued coverage of Indiana basketball possible.

• Presenting sponsor: Homefield Apparel (promo code HOME23 for 15% off your first order)

• Promotional partner for Meaningful Moment: Hoosier Ticket Project

• Promotional partner for Inside the Numbers: Megan Mahaffey’s JacksonHewitt franchise locations in and around Bloomington

• Game Ball sponsor: Bloomington Environmental (mention Assembly Call for a free radon test kit and mitigation estimate)

• Hoosier Hustle Award sponsor: Security Pro 24/7 (formerly Evansville Security Services)

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Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast for free at any of the following places:

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Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

The roster for next season is in the very early stages of taking shape. Whether it’s outgoing or incoming players, some clarity emerged this week.

Additionally, Michigan won the national championship to end the Big Ten’s title drought, and spring football continues. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball taking a series from arch-rival Purdue.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• Hoosiers Look To Add Players Via Transfer Portal

• IU Loses Several More Players to Portal

• Michigan Wins National Championship To End Big Ten’s Title Drought

• Spring Practice Continues For Football

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Wins Series Against Arch-Rival Purdue

Banner #1: Hoosiers Look To Add Players Via Transfer Portal

While IU has not added anyone from the transfer portal yet, this weekend features visits to campus as the Hoosiers try to lock down signature players. The biggest of these by far is Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, who will be in Bloomington today for a visit.

Houston was thought to be Indiana’s biggest competition for Burton. However, the Cougars took a commitment from a top-level point guard on Saturday, giving IU a potential clear runway to land their top target.

Besides this, a couple of other prospects were in Bloomington this weekend including Duke’s Darren Harris and Georgia Tech’s Jaeden Mustaf. Other potential targets are South Alabama’s Adam Olsen, Tulane’s Rowan Brumbaugh, and Alabama’s Aiden Sherell, amongst others.

Banner #2: IU Loses Several More Players to Portal

IU had seven players eligible to return, but only two of them will it appears. Trent Sisley and Andrej Acimovic will likely be back wearing Cream and Crimson next fall.

Nick Dorn, Jasai Miles, Aleksa Ristic, Jason Drake, and Josh Harris all had eligibility to return. However, all five of these guys have announced they will instead enter their names in the transfer portal and depart Bloomington.

Joinging Sisley and Acimovic on the 2026-2027 roster are three incoming freshmen. These players are Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz, and Prince-Alexander Moody.

Banner #3: Michigan Wins National Championship To End Big Ten’s Title Drought

The Big Ten continued its year of winning national titles. This is because Michigan and former IU manager Dusty May ended the conference’s long national title drought in men’s basketball by defeating Connecticut to cut down the nets.

In women’s basketball, UCLA dominated South Carolina for the championship. This ended a similar title drought for the league.

Banner #4: Spring Practice Continues For Football

Spring football continues for IU. The Hoosiers are back on the field practicing now and looking to defend their national championship. Several players and coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media after practice this week.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

The Back Home Network has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Wins Series Against Arch-Rival Purdue

• Softball took a series from arch-rival Purdue this weekend. This was after defeating Butler and losing to UCLA.

• Baseball defeated Ball State and Rutgers and has split its first two with Maryland in its weekend series.

• Water Polo lost to UCLA but beat San Jose State.

• Women’s tennis lost to Maryland and beat Penn State.

• Men’s tennis to Northwestern as well as Wisconsin.

• Rowing lost to Texas.

• Track and Field competed in the Crimson Tide Invitational.

• Wrestling signed a recruit.

• Finally, women’s basketball added its first player from the transfer portal.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

IU announced another signature non-conference game in Indianapolis for next fall. This matchup was learned as the roster for next season is in the very early stages of taking shape.

Additionally, the NCAA Tournament results and spring football has begun. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by baseball getting back in the win column.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• IU Adds Non-Conference Matchup With Syracuse In Indy

• Where The Hoosiers Roster Is At

• NCAA Tourney Results

• Spring Practice Continues For Football

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Baseball Ends Long Losing Streak

Banner #1: IU Adds Non-Conference Matchup With Syracuse In Indy

As IU looks to next season, a major piece of the non-conference schedule was learned this week. It was already known that the Hoosiers would face Kentucky in their state’s capital city in December.

While that matchup will be in Lucas Oil stadium with a truly neutral atmosphere, Indiana will have a de facto home game against Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 9. The contest is a rematch of the 1987 NCAA Championship, which is IU’s last title to date, as well as the 2013 Sweet 16, when the Orange knocked out an elite Hoosier team when they were a one seed.

Syracuse will be coached by Gerry McNamara, who is a program legend but will be debuting next season following recent struggles since Jim Boeheim’s retirement. The Orange are coming off a 15-17 season and have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2021.

Banner #2: Where The Hoosiers Roster Is At

The Hoosiers will look to build a stronger roster that can better compete in the Big Ten in 2026-2027 under second-year head coach Darian DeVries. IU has seven players eligible to return, but only three of them (Nick Dorn, Jasai Miles, and Trent Sisley) saw time in the rotation this season. Of these, Sisley announced this week he will be back in Bloomington for his sophomore season, while the other two’s plans remain unclear at this moment.

Of the remaining guys with eligibility, Aleksa Ristic was the only other guy with eligibility to see minutes last season, and it was only very sparingly. The other three bodies who can return to the program were injured or redshirting in Andrej Acimovic, Jason Drake, and Josh Harris. Other than Drake, who announced this week that he will enter his name in the transfer portal, what happens with these remaining guys remains to be seen.

The other three players who will definitely be on the roster besides Sisley are incoming freshman Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz, and Prince-Alexander Moody. Given the losses of their top rotational guys, IU will almost certainly need to fill several spots via the transfer portal with immediate impact guys. The Hoosiers are from alone here, however, and the portal opens this Tuesday officially.

Turning to the women’s side, there is a lot more clarity for Indiana here. While the Hoosiers have lost several players to the portal, including promising freshman Nevaeh Caffey, the return of three starters was confirmed. This includes Maya Makalusky, Zania Socka-Nguemen, and Lenee Beaumont, who are all key pieces going forward.

The program also brings in an elite recruiting class that includes what were the two highest-ranked recruits in program history until this week. This is because IU just received a commitment from an ever higher ranked prospect for 2027 in Finley Parker. Outgoing star Shay Ciezki also hinted at a strong portal class for the team for next season.

Banner #3: NCAA Tourney Results

The NCAA Tournament continued with the Final Four. With NIL seemingly widening the gap between mid-major and power five teams, the competition has featured fewer upsets than usual.

However, with that said, there have still been some great games. Despite the Hoosiers not being a part of it (outside of a brief cameo from Sam Alexis later on), the Big Ten sent nine teams to the dance, and six of them made the Sweet 16, with four on to the Elite 8, and two the Final Four.

The Final Four teams from the conference were Michigan and Illinois. While the Illini were knocked out by Connecticut, the Wolverines dominated Arizona. The two winners will play for the national championship in a game that could have Indiana fans wondering what might have been in an alternate universe.

This is because the Huskies have Hoosier native Braylon Mullins playing a key role, and IU was a finalist for his services. Also, Michigan is coached by former Indiana manager Dusty May.

The Big Ten will look to end long national title droughts in both men’s and women’s basketball in the next couple of days, though. UCLA will face South Carolina for the women’s championship this afternoon, while the Wolverines will take on Connecticut tomorrow night.

Banner #4: Spring Practice Continues For Football

Spring football is just beginning for IU. The Hoosiers are back on the field practicing now and looking to defend their national championship. Several players and coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media after a practice this week.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

Inside the Hall’s Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, Alex Bozich was joined by Rick Bozich to discuss previous Final Fours.

The Back Home Network has many shows also. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

• Baseball finally ended a long losing streak by dominating Rutgers on Friday Night. However, in between that, Nebraska finished a sweep of IU, while the Hoosiers also fell to Evansville and the Scarlet Knights with late collapses. In non-game news, one of Indiana’s games at Northwestern next month was moved to Wrigley Field.

• Women’s tennis beat Rutgers but fell to Nebraska.

• Softball gave elite UCLA a scare before losing twice.

• Men’s tennis lost to top-flight Illinois.

• Water Polo fell to elite Arizona State and Michigan.

• Women’s golf finished third at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.

• Men’s golf competed at the Butler Spring Invitational.

• Track and Field competed in the Battle of the Bayou.

• Rowing took part in the Ohio State Regatta.

• Volleyball will take part in the newly created Big Ten vs. SEC Challenge. The program also put season tickets on sale for next fall.

• Finally, women’s basketball assistant coach Rhett Wierzba received an honor.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

On Wednesday, and will continue to recap the Hoosiers’ 25-26 season with another edition of Doing The Work — our show dedicated to the Indiana women’s basketball team.

Watch on our YouTube channel below. (Open the link in YouTube to see a replay of

the show or chat with the WorkAholics during the show.)

Subscribe to Doing The Work

Subscribe to the Doing The Work podcast for free at any of the following places:

• YouTube

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Google Podcasts

• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS (use this to subscribe in any player)

• Search for “doing the work” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

IU introduced a new assistant coach in hopes of a better future. Meanwhile, the NCAA Tourney continues without them, as has happened most of the time in the last decade, with the Big Ten thriving.

Additionally, a look the roster’s current standing for Indiana and spring football begins. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing its strong start to 2026.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• IU Adds Assistant Coach To Staff

• NCAA Tourney Results

• Where The Hoosiers Roster Is At

• Spring Football Practice Begins

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

Banner #1: IU Adds Assistant Coach To Staff

As IU looks to next season, its bench of assistants is now fully staffed to help build a roster. Louisville assistant Thomas Carr (no relation to new staff member Ryan Carr) will head across the river to Indiana to fill the final spot on the staff that was one short in 2025-2026.

Carr will join Drew Adams, Rod Clark, Kenny Johnson, and Nick Norton as the assistant coaches for 2026-2027. He was an assistant with Pat Kelsey at College of Charleston before following him to be with the Cardinals.

Banner #2: NCAA Tourney Results

The Hoosiers’ season has been over for a couple of weeks after once again failing to secure a spot in March Madness. This was the third straight year and eighth time in 10 seasons IU has found itself in this position.

However, with or without Indiana, the NCAA Tournament continues. With NIL seemingly widening the gap between mid-major and power five teams, the competition has featured fewer upsets than usual and no mid-majors in the tournament’s second weekend.

However, with that said, there have still been some great games. Despite the Hoosiers not being a part of it, the Big Ten sent nine teams to the dance, and six of them made the Sweet 16, with four on to the Elite 8.

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Purdue all made the second weekend, with all but Michigan State and Nebraska advancing. The Illini have already made the Final Four in Indianapolis, and the Wolverines will look to join them today with a matchup against Tennessee. However, the Boilermakers fell to Arizona who will play in Indy as well. The winner of Duke vs. UConn will take the final spot.

Banner #3: Where The Hoosiers Roster Is At

After the late-season collapse, the Hoosiers will look to build a stronger roster that can better compete in the Big Ten in 2026-2027 under second-year head coach Darian DeVries. IU has seven players eligible to return, but only three of them (Nick Dorn, Jasai Miles, and Trent Sisley) saw time in the rotation this season.

Aleksa Ristic was the only other guy with eligibility to see minutes last season, and it was only very sparingly. The other three bodies who can return to Bloomington were injured or redshirting in Andrej Acimovic, Jason Drake, and Josh Harris.

How many of these seven will elect to actually suit up for Indiana remains to be seen. The three players who will definitely be on the roster, though, are incoming freshman Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz, and Prince-Alexander Moody.

However, given the losses of their top rotational guys, IU will almost certainly need to fill several spots via the transfer portal with immediate impact guys to have any chance to return to March Madness. The Hoosiers are from alone here, however.

Given the nature of college basketball, almost everyone has to use the portal to compete, including many in the Big Ten. It opens after the National Championship game.

Banner #4: Spring Football Practice Begins

While basketball season has ended, spring football is just beginning for IU. The Hoosiers are back on the field practicing now and looking to defend their national championship. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media after a practice this week.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

Inside the Hall’s Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, IU Film Room’s Tony Adragna discussed what IU needs to do in the transfer portal.

The Back Home Network has many shows also. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

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Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

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Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

• Softball continued its hot start to the season. They went 3-1 this week, completing a sweep of Maryland and sweeping Detroit Mercy, which included a no-hitter, while falling to elite Oregon. At 27-7, their RPI sits in the top 60, which is well within range for a fourth straight NCAA Tourney appearance.

• Swimming and Diving saw the men finish third nationally at the NCAA Championships.

• Men’s tennis had a huge week, defeating Penn State and rival Purdue.

• Women’s tennis fell to Illinois but upset ranked Iowa.

• Baseball seemed to be gaining momentum, but then lost all four games this week to Minnesota and Indiana State, as well as both contests at Nebraska. Sitting at just 10-16, a second straight year of missing the NCAA Tourney seems most likely barring a huge turnaround.

• Water Polo fell to Stanford.

• Track and Field competed in the Raleigh Relays.

• Wrestling signed a player for next year.

• Finally, several former IU baseball players made opening day rosters in the MLB.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

In this episode of Xs and Joes, Bob Moats and Mike Wiemuth are joined by Andy Bottoms to unpack the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, the selection process, and what it all reveals about where college basketball is headed next.

Bracketology Reality Check

The guys open with Andy reflecting on another Selection Sunday—and why even strong bracket projections can still “grade out” poorly.

• Why bracketology success doesn’t always match leaderboard results

• The surprising disconnect between predictive accuracy and final rankings

• A tongue-in-cheek case for “re-scoring” brackets based on tournament outcomes

• Early hints that this year’s committee may have valued things differently than expected

Committee Philosophy & Process

A deeper dive into how the selection committee actually operates—and where subjectivity still sneaks in.

• Whether the committee truly follows a strict process or has hidden preferences

• Where bias might show up (and where it likely doesn’t)

• Why controversial matchups are usually dictated by rules—not conspiracy

• The one area of the bracket where human judgment still matters most

What the Committee Really Values Now

This is where things get interesting—and where Andy outlines a subtle but important shift.

• The growing importance of “wins above bubble” in getting selected

• Why seeding may now lean more on predictive metrics like KenPom

• Case studies that highlight the tension between results and efficiency

• A key question: Are quality wins losing influence in favor of efficiency metrics?

Mid-Majors, Scheduling, and the System Problem

A fascinating conversation about the structural challenges facing non–power conference teams.

• The scheduling paradox: no one wants to play you… but you’re punished if you don’t

• Why some programs embrace tough non-conference games—and others avoid them

• How newer metrics may actually help mid-majors get a fair shot

• The hidden tradeoffs every program faces when building a schedule

Tournament Takeaways (So Far)

After the first weekend, the bracket has been relatively calm—but that might be a feature, not a bug.

• Why there were fewer shocking upsets than usual

• The one result that did stand out—and why it happened

• How style-of-play mismatches can still flip games

• A bigger-picture insight about how the tournament may be evolving

The Future of Bracketology

The episode closes with a thought-provoking look ahead.

• Could bracketology eventually become fully algorithm-driven?

• What we’d gain in accuracy—and lose in drama

• The tension between data-driven decisions and human nuance

• Why the future might shift the drama from Selection Sunday to the games themselves

Bottom line:

This episode isn’t just about this bracket—it’s about how the entire system is evolving. And whether we’re ready for a world where the madness is a little less mysterious… and a lot more calculated.This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

The YouTube video is below, and you can listen to the audio wherever podcasts are available.

Use these links to subscribe to the podcast:

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

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• Don’t see it somewhere you normally listen to podcasts? Let us know.

If you thoughts or comments about the episode, feel free to comment on YouTube video, comment below, or reach out to Mike (@M_Wiemuth_) and Bob (@BobMoats) on Twitter or in our BHN Discord.

Leave a comment

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

IU’s basketball season is over, but the NCAA Tourney continues without them, as has happened most of the time in the last decade. With the Hoosiers’ year coming to a close, Inside the Hall had a series wrapping up each player’s campaign.

Additionally, despite the lack of success, Indiana is still one of the most popular college basketball programs, and a look at how its former players did. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing its strong start to 2026.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• NCAA Tourney Results

• Inside the Hall’s That’s A Wrap Series

• IU Amongst Ten Most Popular College Basketball Programs

• How Former Indiana Players Did This Season

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

Banner #1: NCAA Tourney Results

The Hoosiers’ season is over after once again failing to secure a spot in March Madness as expected. This was the third straight year and eighth time in 10 seasons IU has found itself in this position.

However, with or without Indiana, the NCAA Tournament continues. With NIL seemingly widening the gap between mid-major and power five teams, the competition has featured fewer upsets than usual.

However, with that said, there have still been some thrilling results. Despite the Hoosiers not being a part of it, the Big Ten sent nine teams to the dance, and two of the most exciting games happened early on Thursday involving them. The first was Ohio State losing a nailbiter to TCU, and the other was Wisconsin getting knocked off late in a thriller against High Point, which was the only true ‘Cinderella’ to win in the first round.

However, after these two disappointments, it has been all roses for the conference, with Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State all winning two games to advance to the Sweet 16. Finally, Nebraska seemingly completed its identity swap with IU late on Saturday night to also advance to the second weekend in a terrific blow-for-blow matchup with Vanderbilt. With the Cornhuskers success, the transformation from history to them being a ‘basketball school’ now and Indiana a ‘football school’ seems complete for the moment.

Purdue, UCLA, and Iowa will look to join these four other league programs in the Sweet 16 with games today. In other notable results, Duke nearly became the rare victim of a loss as a one seed in the first round but survived Siena. Meanwhile, their arch-rival, North Carolina, had a complete meltdown against VCU with inexcusable late turnovers. In another blueblood thriller, Kentucky hit a half-court prayer to force overtime and eventually knock off Santa Clara.

The only mid-major squad still with a chance at the Sweet 16 is Utah State, which has a very tall task against top-seeded Arizona today. Lastly, to emphasize the mostly ‘chalk’ results of this year’s tourney so far, budget-rich Texas is the only double-digit seed to advance to the second weekend at this point.

Banner #2: Inside the Hall’s That’s A Wrap Series

With the season now over for IU, Inside the Hall did a series breaking down each of the team’s rotation players in detail. They looked at Trent Sisley, Jasai Miles, Nick Dorn, Tayton Conerway, Reed Bailey, Conor Enright, Sam Alexis, Tucker DeVries, and Lamar Wilkerson.

Banner #3: IU Amongst Ten Most Popular College Basketball Programs

Despite the struggles, the popularity of IU’s basketball program has seemingly not faded. Using multiple factors, Nielsen ranked the Hoosiers the eighth most popular team in college basketball. Michigan was fourth, Illinois seventh, and Ohio State ninth, as the other Big Ten programs to crack the top-10, with Duke taking the top spot.

Banner #4: How Former Indiana Players Did This Season

11 former Hoosiers competed on other college basketball teams this year. These players were Kaleb Banks (DePaul), Kanaan Carlyle (Florida Atlantic), Gabe Cupps (Ohio State), Logan Duncomb (Winthrop), CJ Gunn (DePaul), Dallas James (Morgan State), Mackenzie Mgbako (Texas A&M), Jakai Newton (Georgia State), Malik Reneau (Miami [FL]) Myles Rice (Maryland), and Bryson Tucker (Washington).

Carlyle, Duncomb, Gunn, and Reneau were by far the most successful, averaging double figures. Team-wise, Cupps, Mgbako, and Reneau made it to March Madness, with Reneau the only one remaining as his Hurricanes look to upset Purdue today.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

Inside the Hall’s Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, Crimson Cast’s Scott Caulfield crossed over from the Back Home Network to discuss IU missing the NCAA Tourney again.

The Back Home Network itself has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

• Softball continued its hot start to the season. After losing to Rutgers, they swept the rest of their results this week, knocking off IU Indy and taking two from Maryland to open that series. At 24-6, their RPI sits around 60, which is well within range for a fourth straight NCAA Tourney appearance.

• Baseball had its best week of the spring to date (outside of some unfortunate injury news), knocking off SEC power Vanderbilt on the road and taking two from Minnesota to open that series. Their RPI improved into the top 70 after sitting well outside the top 100 last week. However, sitting at just 10-12, a second straight year of missing the NCAA Tourney seems most likely barring a huge turnaround in the second half of the season. Also, the Big Ten announced a new format for the sport’s conference tourney in late May.

• Water Polo beat Pomona-Pitzer and San Jose State but lost to UC San Diego and Cal.

• Women’s tennis beat Minnesota but lost to Northwestern.

• Men’s tennis beat Washington but lost to Ohio State.

• Swimming and Diving saw the women finish seventh nationally at the NCAA Championships.

• Wrestling finished 21st at the NCAA Championships.

• Women’s golf finished fourth at the Valspar Augusta Invitational.

• Men’s golf finished tied for 12th at the Schenkel Invitational.

• Rowing concluded its opening weekend at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational.

• Finally, football will show off its national championship trophy with a tour around Indiana. As a result of the sports success, Scott Dolson was honored as the athletic director of the year by NACDA, and coach Curt Cignetti will drive the pace car at the Indy 500.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

On Thursday, and will recap the Hoosiers’ 25-26 season with another edition of Doing The Work — our show dedicated to the Indiana women’s basketball team.

Watch on our YouTube channel below. (Open the link in YouTube to see a replay of

the show or chat with the WorkAholics during the show.)

Subscribe to Doing The Work

Subscribe to the Doing The Work podcast for free at any of the following places:

• YouTube

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Google Podcasts

• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS (use this to subscribe in any player)

• Search for “doing the work” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

IU lost to Northwestern again in the conference tourney, very likely ending their season. As their NCAA Tournament chances are nearly zero, the Hoosiers will head into the offseason looking to build a stronger roster to get back to March Madness in 2026-2027.

Additionally, Lamar Wilkerson was honored by the Big Ten as a bright spot for the year and women’s basketball is on to the offseason as well. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing its strong start to 2026.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• Hoosiers’ Season Likely Ends With Another Loss To NW

• NCAA Bracketology

• Wilkerson Honored By Big Ten

• Women’s Basketball Looks To Next Season As Several Enter Transfer Portal

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

Banner #1: Hoosiers’ Season Likely Ends With Another Loss To NW

The Hoosiers headed to the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago, needing wins to stay alive in their quest for March Madness. Instead, Northwestern stopped IU dead in its tracks in a game that played out nearly identically to Indiana’s loss in Bloomington to the Wildcats a couple of weeks earlier.

IU came out of the gate firing and took a solid lead early. However, the second half was another dead performance for the Hoosiers, and in the end, NW pulled away for a 74-61 victory and their seventh straight win over Indiana.

Afterwards, IU coach Darian DeVries spoke, Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After and Film Session, Alex Bozich penned Five Takeaways, and Quinn Richards and Josh Pos put together columns about the struggles to close the season.

Banner #2: NCAA Bracketology

By finishing 18-14 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers are almost certainly on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble now. This means they will head into the offseason losers of six of seven games.

With that said, the conference is well-positioned to potentially end its long streak of not winning a national title. The league will send nine teams to the Big Dance, with Michigan and a couple of others being amongst the favorites to cut down the nets.

While IU sat 17-8 in early February and appeared cruising towards March Madness, water found its level to preseason projections, and the team ran out of answers down the stretch. As a result, they will head into the offseason needing to use the transfer portal again to try to fully rebuild into a better squad for 2026-2027, which opens April 7.

Indiana has made the tournament just twice in the last decade, and DeVries and new executive director Ryan Carr will be tasked with trying to improve a flawed roster. They did not create this decade of malaise, but will nonetheless be tasked with building a roster that needs a Big Ten-level point guard and post player, which it lacked this year. Fans are rightfully impatient as recent times have not matched the historic highs this program expects, and supporters have to hope the trio of incoming freshmen and newcomers can turn things around.

Banner #3: Wilkerson Honored By Big Ten

Despite the struggles, the one bright spot was outgoing senior Lamar Wilkerson. He was the one player with a complete skill set and easily able to hold his own in a grueling Big Ten. As a result, the conference honored him on the all-league team.

Banner #4: Women’s Basketball Suffers Season-Ending Loss To Buckeyes In Big Ten Tourney

Women’s basketball’s season is also over. Unlike the men, who have struggled mightily to find their way into March Madness, the women have been a fixture there. While they closed the year strong, winning seven of ten, they will still miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 20017-2018. However, before their long streak in the Big Dance, they made the WNIT multiple times, including winning it once.

While the squad could go back to this secondary competition again, they apparently are declining to do so. As a result, they will not participate in postseason play for the first time since 2014-2015, which was the inaugural season of current coach Teri Moren’s tenure.

While Indiana will not be playing, the Big Ten has an excellent chance to end its long drought of not cutting down the nets. A dozen teams will be headed to March Madness from the league, with UCLA and a couple of others in prime position to claim the trophy.

However, with the men also seemingly declining any form of postseason play, it will be the first time the month of March will not see postseason play for either gender at IU since 2010-2011. The women, however, have a very bright future with the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the presumed return of program stalwart Lenee Beaumont and freshmen Maya Makalusky and Nevaeh Caffey, who came on strong in February. They will need to add depth around the edges with three players at the back of the roster entering the transfer portal.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

Get 20% off at Homefield now

Banner #5: Weekly Shows

The Back Home Network has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

Refer a friend

Do you enjoy The Assembly Call? Please consider sharing our work with other IU fans in your life who you think would appreciate it.

Plus, you get perks (see here) when people sign up using your link.

Refer a friend

Gift subscriptions

And if you want to get generous, consider gifting a premium subscription to the extra special IU fans in your life.

We promise we’ll make it worth their while — and your hard-earned money!

Give a gift subscription

Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

• Softball continued its hot start to the season. They knocked off Minnesota last week to take that series and have won the first two over Rutgers this weekend, as well as a midweek game against Loyola Chicago. Their RPI sits around 60 in the NCAA’s first reveal, which is well within range for a fourth straight NCAA Tourney appearance.

• Baseball lost a conference series to woeful Washington. While they did beat Wright State in the midweek, their offense has been ice cold in conference play so far, as they have lost the first two to Oregon as well. They sit well outside the top-100 in the RPI, and a second straight year of missing the NCAA Tourney seems likely barring something unforeseen.

• Wrestling finished tenth at the Big Ten Championships, which is their highest since 2012. They will send six athletes to the NCAA Championships.

• Water Polo beat Princeton but fell to Long Beach State.

• Women’s tennis lost to Wisconsin.

• Men’s tennis fell to USC and Oregon.

• Track and field competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

• Rowing opened its season at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational.

• Swimming and diving had many athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships on the women’s side.

• Football saw coach Curt Cignetti and QB Fernando Mendoza receive more postseason honors.

• Finally, IU announced that former athletic director Clarence Doninger passed away.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Leave a comment

Indiana fell to Northwestern 74–61 in the Big Ten Tournament, dropping to 18–14 and surely ending any remaining hopes of an NCAA tournament bid.

The Hoosiers built an early 10-point lead and looked sharp offensively before a late first-half collapse and second-half defensive breakdown allowed Northwestern to seize control and pull away.

Andy Bottoms, Coach Tonsoni, Jerod Morris, and Ryan Phillips break down the season-ending loss and what it revealed about Indiana’s roster and program direction:

• The strong opening stretch where Tucker DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson, and Sam Alexis fueled an early double-digit Indiana lead before everything unraveled

• The brutal offensive collapse late in the first half that flipped momentum and set the tone for the rest of the game

• Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli dominating the second half and why Indiana never found a defensive answer for him

• The recurring defensive strategy questions — especially switching decisions that repeatedly created favorable matchups for Northwestern

• Frustration with Indiana’s shot selection and empty possessions during a pivotal second-half stretch

• A bigger-picture discussion of the offseason ahead and why portal additions will define the next phase of Darian DeVries’ rebuild

Plus, as always: the big moments you might have missed, stats that stood out, and our game ball and hustle award.

This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

Live Show and Replay

Thank you to our sponsors

We appreciate the support of our sponsors who help make our continued coverage of Indiana basketball possible.

• Presenting sponsor: Homefield Apparel (promo code HOME23 for 15% off your first order)

• Promotional partner for Meaningful Moment: Hoosier Ticket Project

• Promotional partner for Inside the Numbers: Megan Mahaffey’s JacksonHewitt franchise locations in and around Bloomington

• Game Ball sponsor: Bloomington Environmental (mention Assembly Call for a free radon test kit and mitigation estimate)

• Hoosier Hustle Award sponsor: Security Pro 24/7 (formerly Evansville Security Services)

Subscribe to The Assembly Call

Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast for free at any of the following places:

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• Google Podcasts

• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS

• Search for “assembly call” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Subscribe now

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

IU had a trio of games this week, and unfortunately for Indiana fans, they won just one of them. This moves their NCAA Tournament chances to nearly zero without a huge run in the Big Tournament.

Additionally, women’s basketball saw its season end in the conference tourney. As usual, we will conclude with a look at the weekly shows and the rest of the Hoosier sports in action, which was led by softball continuing its strong start to 2026.

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• Hoosiers Top Minnesota On Senior Night

• Michigan State Too Much For IU

• Indiana Falls To Ohio State In Bubble Battle

• Women’s Basketball Suffers Season-Ending Loss To Buckeyes In Big Ten Tourney

• Weekly Shows

• Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

Banner #1: Hoosiers Top Minnesota On Senior Night

The game against the Golden Gophers was the bright light this week in a lot of darkness. On Senior Night, Indiana built a huge lead early against Minnesota and won going away 77-47.

Afterwards, IU coach Darian DeVries spoke, Inside the Hall had a photo gallery, Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After and Film Session, Alex Bozich penned Five Takeaways, and Quinn Richards put together a column about the dominant victory.

Banner #2: Michigan State Too Much For IU

Facing a chance for a signature victory against Michigan State, the Spartans left no doubt who the better team was. MSU jumped out to a huge lead early behind hot shooting. While the Hoosiers never let the game get out of hand, they never seriously challenged for a victory, falling 77-64.

Afterwards, DeVries spoke, Inside the Hall had a photo gallery, Corazza wrote a Minute After and Film Session, Bozich penned Five Takeaways, and Josh Pos put together a column about the uphill battle all day.

Banner #3: Indiana Falls To Ohio State In Bubble Battle

Despite all the roster turnover in the offseason, the Hoosiers had a chance to put themselves into a great position to make the NCAA Tournament by beating the Buckeyes. Instead, their defense struggled all day in a 91-78 loss and moved Indiana further from the bubble.

Afterwards, IU coach Darian DeVries spoke, Corazza wrote a Minute After, and Bozich penned Five Takeaways.

Indiana returns to action as the no. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday at 6:30 pm on BTN (the time slot and network for any possible matchups on the first three days remain constant). They will first face the winner of Penn State and Northwestern, who play the day before. If the Hoosiers win this, arch-rival Purdue awaits on Thursday, before Michigan State or Nebraska would be the opponent on Friday with a second victory.

By finishing 18-13 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers are likely on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble now. They will almost certainly need to win at least three games in Chicago this week to have a chance to go dancing in March Madness.

Banner #4: Women’s Basketball Suffers Season-Ending Loss To Buckeyes In Big Ten Tourney

Women’s basketball closed its season on a hot streak, winning seven of nine before falling to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tourney to close its 2025-2026 campaign. However, a day earlier, they rallied from 20 points down to beat Nebraska in a thriller, leaving optimism for the future. Also, both Shay Ciezki and Maya Makalusky received postseason honors from the league.

Presenting Sponsor: Homefield Apparel

Homefield’s annual Black Friday sale has already begun. Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.

The item of the week for this week is the new “Hurryin’ Hoosiers” snapback hat. Both

Jerod Morris and Tony Adragna have it, and can attest to its quality and fit.

Plus, how cool is it to have an item celebrating the great teams under Branch McCracken?

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Banner #5: Weekly Shows

Podcast on the Brink was recorded this week. Inside the Hall’s own Corazza joined Bozich to discuss the big picture of where the program is at.

The Back Home Network has many shows. As a result, it was on air many times this week with programming.

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Banner #6: Hoosier Roundup-Softball Continues Strong Start To Season

• Softball continued its hot start to the season. They knocked off UNC Greensboro and Minnesota this week to improve their record to 17-5 despite losing one to the Gophers also.

• Baseball beat Western Kentucky and split its first two games with Washington.

• Women’s tennis beat Southern Indiana but lost to arch-rival Purdue.

• Men’s tennis fell to UCLA in its Big Ten opener.

• Swimming and diving had many athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships on the women’s side.

• Track and field had three athletes qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

• Men’s golf competed at the Colleton River Collegiate.

• Several former men’s soccer players are now competing in the MLS.

• Volleyball announced a top matchup for next fall against Tennessee.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

The Assembly Call is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Indiana fell to Ohio State 91–78 in Columbus in the regular-season finale, dropping to 18–13 overall and 9–11 in Big Ten play and effectively ending their at-large NCAA tournament hopes.

The Hoosiers kept the game competitive early but were undone by Ohio State’s hot perimeter shooting and Indiana’s inability to match the Buckeyes’ physicality and shot creation for long stretches.

Jerod Morris, Ryan Phillips, Mike Wiemuth, and Bob Moats break down the disappointing road loss and what it says about Indiana’s roster and future:

• Ohio State’s blistering three-point shooting that repeatedly stretched Indiana’s defense beyond its limits
• The physical mismatch that showed up in rebounding battles, defensive rotations, and late-game fouling
• Lamar Wilkerson’s aggressive play — including one costly late decision — that captured both his importance and the burden he carried all season
• Why Indiana’s roster construction left them without enough playmakers or shot creators to keep up with elite Big Ten teams
• The defensive dilemma of trying to contain Bruce Thornton while Ohio State’s other weapons punished every adjustment
• Jerod’s sobering “banner moment” reflection on what the end of the regular season means for the program’s immediate future
• The looming offseason and why roster upgrades are now the clearest path forward for Darian DeVries’ system

Plus, as always: the big moments you might have missed, stats that stood out, and our game ball and hustle award.

This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

Live Show and Replay

Thank you to our sponsors

We appreciate the support of our sponsors who help make our continued coverage of Indiana basketball possible.

• Presenting sponsor: Homefield Apparel (promo code HOME23 for 15% off your first order)

• Promotional partner for Meaningful Moment: Hoosier Ticket Project

• Promotional partner for Inside the Numbers: Megan Mahaffey’s JacksonHewitt franchise locations in and around Bloomington

• Game Ball sponsor: Bloomington Environmental (mention Assembly Call for a free radon test kit and mitigation estimate)

• Hoosier Hustle Award sponsor: Security Pro 24/7 (formerly Evansville Security Services)

Subscribe to The Assembly Call

Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast for free at any of the following places:

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• Search for “assembly call” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

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Gainbridge Fieldhouse In Indianapolis Where The Indiana Women Took On Ohio State In The Big Ten Tourney On Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS —While my role at The Assembly Call is to cover the IU women’s basketball team, the themes of this column could easily apply to both sides of Branch McCracken Court. The program's direction and the necessary fixes are nearly identical for both the men and women, but I will focus on the women’s side—that is my beat.

After years of competing at the highest level, Coach Teri Moren’s squad took a serious step back this season. However, Moren deserves immense credit for keeping the locker room together after a devastating 0-10 start to conference play.

Indiana eventually took advantage of the league’s lower tier, winning six of its final eight games and picking up a win in the Big Ten Tournament. The fact that IU “brought it” every night—despite knowing a seventh straight NCAA Tournament bid was out of reach—speaks volumes about the culture and DNA Moren has established. That identity didn’t vanish during the rough patches of 2025-26, which is a massive silver lining.

However, the harsh reality is that this roster lacks high-end talent. Outside of senior Shay Ciezki’s phenomenal season, Indiana simply didn’t have the horses to compete consistently in an unforgiving Big Ten. This deficiency must be corrected as the program heads into 2026-27.

Ciezki said she was proud of the turnaround but understands the standard is higher for future squads.

“The adversity hit us, and all we did was just put our head down and work even harder than the start of the season,” she said. “Obviously you’ve seen that through our wins. In four years, you’re going to face a lot of adversity, more than you’d think, and it’s how you respond to that is what really matters.”

Let’s be clear: the reactionary corners of the fan base calling for a coaching change should consign that thought to the nearest waste bin. Moren built this program from scratch, taking it to heights no rational fan once thought possible. This staff has earned the right to walk away on its own terms. While expectations have rightly risen, one bad season, especially amidst a rebuild following heavy transfer portal losses, is no reason to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. While Ciezki departs, the promise shown by freshmen Maya Makalusky and Nevaeh Caffey are the highest we’ve seen since Yarden Garzon arrived four years ago. Makalusky offers elite scoring gravity, while Caffey provides the point-of-attack athleticism and rim pressure the team has lacked. Along with Lenee Beaumont, they form a future-proof core.

Help is also on the way via the nation’s sixth-ranked recruiting class, featuring two prospects ranked even higher than Makalusky and Caffey were coming out of high school. New recruiting coordinator Colsten Thompson has made an immediate impact, landed top prospects and filled the board with elite names. This resurgence follows a period where recruiting momentum stalled, even while the Hoosiers were winning at a high level.

This shift in profile must continue. Caffey is certainly more athletic than previous guards in her position, and incoming recruit Gigi Battle fits this same mold perfectly. Battle brings the kind of physical, downhill presence that Thompson and Moren are clearly prioritizing to bridge the talent gap in the new Big Ten. More of these types of prospects are a must to get back near the top of the league.”

But first, Indiana must find size and athleticism on the interior. This year’s “swings” in the portal were largely misses, except for UCLA transfer Zania Socka-Ngeuman, who was sidelined by injury much of the season. A healthy, Big Ten-caliber starting center is the “skeleton key” that makes Moren’s system click. Edessa Noyan played her heart out this season, but she is ideally an elite backup rather than a primary post defender.

Moren spoke like someone who understood the need to improve the roster and reiterated how much they like the newcomers for 2026-2027.

“Moving forward we’re super excited about the freshman class that we have coming in here to Bloomington next year,” Moren said “I think they will provide some depth. We’re going to have to do some work here in the spring, I think in the portal as well. There’s no doubt that you can’t play in a league like the Big and you can’t play in a tournament like this or the NCAA Tournament without it.”

Friday’s 83-59 loss to Ohio State that likely ended the season was a microcosm of these issues. The Buckeyes used an elite press to showcase their superior athleticism, bothering Indiana into turnovers. When the Hoosiers did break the pressure for an open look, they simply didn’t have the tired legs to knock them down.

Lack of athleticism and inconsistent shooting have haunted IU all season. If fans remain patient and let Moren and Thompson reload, they will be rewarded. While an 18-14 (6-12 B1G) record was the norm before Moren arrived, her track record suggests this season will be an anomaly, not the new standard.

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Indiana rolled past Minnesota 77–47 to improve to 18–12 overall and 9–10 in Big Ten play, delivering one of the team’s most complete performances of the season at exactly the moment it was needed most.

After losing four straight and watching their NCAA tournament hopes slip, the Hoosiers responded with a dominant defensive effort, balanced scoring, and a decisive closing run late in the first half that effectively ended the game early.

Jerod Morris, Andy Bottoms, and Brian Tonsoni break down the emphatic win and what it means heading into a crucial road test at Ohio State:

• The decisive late-first-half burst that turned a somewhat close game into a comfortable Indiana lead

• Sam Alexis’ dominant interior presence that earned him the night’s game ball

• Tucker DeVries’ all-around stat line and leadership performance that showcased how valuable his versatility can be

• Indiana’s suffocating defensive performance that held Minnesota to just 47 points and one of its worst offensive nights of the season

• The massive edge in points off turnovers that turned defensive stops into easy scoring opportunities

• Why this balanced team effort — on both ends of the floor — looked like the Indiana team fans had been hoping to see for weeks

• What the win means for Indiana’s fading NCAA tournament hopes with a massive bubble matchup looming against Ohio State

Plus, the big moments you might have missed, stats that stood out, and our game ball and hustle award.

This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

Live Show and Replay

Thank you to our sponsors

We appreciate the support of our sponsors who help make our continued coverage of Indiana basketball possible.

• Presenting sponsor: Homefield Apparel (promo code HOME23 for 15% off your first order)

• Promotional partner for Meaningful Moment: Hoosier Ticket Project

• Promotional partner for Inside the Numbers: Megan Mahaffey’s JacksonHewitt franchise locations in and around Bloomington

• Game Ball sponsor: Bloomington Environmental (mention Assembly Call for a free radon test kit and mitigation estimate)

• Hoosier Hustle Award sponsor: Security Pro 24/7 (formerly Evansville Security Services)

Subscribe to The Assembly Call

Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast for free at any of the following places:

• YouTube

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Google Podcasts

• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS

• Search for “assembly call” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Subscribe now

On Wednesday, and will recap the Hoosiers’ games versus PSU and Nebraska with another edition of Doing The Work — our show dedicated to the Indiana women’s basketball team.

Watch on our YouTube channel below. (Open the link in YouTube to see a replay of

the show or chat with the WorkAholics during the show.)

Subscribe to Doing The Work

Subscribe to the Doing The Work podcast for free at any of the following places:

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• Search for “doing the work” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Indiana dropped its fourth straight game, falling 77–64 to Michigan State as the Hoosiers’ late-season slide continued and their NCAA tournament hopes faded further.

Despite sustained effort and moments of competitiveness, Indiana again struggled to overcome talent gaps, rebounding issues, and offensive limitations against a top-tier Big Ten opponent.

Coach Tonsoni and Ryan Phillips break down another frustrating loss and what it says about Indiana’s present — and future:

• How Indiana’s defensive adjustment to a matchup zone briefly slowed Michigan State but couldn’t overcome sustained shooting efficiency

• The momentum-killing offensive rebounds that repeatedly erased Indiana runs

• Why the Hoosiers’ offense stalled without a consistent downhill creator to put defenses in rotation

• The growing consensus that effort isn’t the issue — roster talent and fit are

• Tucker DeVries’ all-around performance and leadership amid difficult offensive circumstances

• The broader impact of Indiana’s four-game skid on postseason hopes and program trajectory

• Why the upcoming offseason — especially portal additions — now looms as the program’s most important stretch

Plus, key statistical takeaways, game ball and Hoosier Hustle Award selections, and a discussion of how Indiana should approach the final games with pride and long-term perspective in mind.

This episode brought to you by the Back Home Network and Homefield Apparel.

Live Show and Replay

Thank you to our sponsors

We appreciate the support of our sponsors who help make our continued coverage of Indiana basketball possible.

• Presenting sponsor: Homefield Apparel (promo code HOME23 for 15% off your first order)

• Promotional partner for Meaningful Moment: Hoosier Ticket Project

• Promotional partner for Inside the Numbers: Megan Mahaffey’s JacksonHewitt franchise locations in and around Bloomington

• Game Ball sponsor: Bloomington Environmental (mention Assembly Call for a free radon test kit and mitigation estimate)

• Hoosier Hustle Award sponsor: Security Pro 24/7 (formerly Evansville Security Services)

Subscribe to The Assembly Call

Subscribe to The Assembly Call podcast for free at any of the following places:

• YouTube

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Google Podcasts

• Art19

• Podcast feed RSS

• Search for “assembly call” wherever you listen to podcasts. If you don’t find us, email Jerod.

Subscribe now