[6BS] Basketball Has Best Week Of Season With First Two Signature Wins
IU Also Gets A Commitment From Top-Recruit
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 finally appears to have turned the corner on the hardwood. Whether it be two signature wins or the recruiting trail, the Hoosiers had their best week of the season.
Also, football announced its schedule for next year. As usual, we will conclude with weekly shows and a look at the rest of the Indiana sports in action, which was led by big victories for swimming and diving.
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Here is what is in this week’s edition:
Hoosiers Knock Off Arch-Rival Purdue For First Signature Win Of Season
IU Continues Hot Streak With Double OT Thriller Victory At UCLA
Indiana Snags Third Recruit For Next Year
Football Announces 2026 Fall Schedule
Weekly Shows
Hoosier Roundup-Swimming And Diving Beats Louisville and Purdue
Banner #1: Hoosiers Knock Off Arch-Rival Purdue For First Signature Win Of Season
IU basketball appears to have caught the winning ways from football’s national championship, as the gridiron Hoosiers were honored at Assembly Hall on this night. This was part of a special Tuesday evening in Bloomington in multiple ways.
Led by the emergence of Nick Dorn and Reed Bailey to go with the always strong play of Tucker Devries and especially Lamar Wilkerson, this squad has rounded into form as it makes a postseason push. It started with a win over archrival Purdue 72-67.
Indiana controlled this game comfortably for most of the night. However, a late run from the Boilermakers cut the lead to 2 with about a minute left. Then Conor Enright drilled a dagger three and the team held on from there. Wilkerson and Dorn scored 19 and 18 points respectively as the team made 12 three pointers on the night to key the victory.
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 and Josh Pos put together columns about the night.
Banner #2: IU Continues Hot Streak With Double OT Thriller Victory At UCLA
The winning continued in Los Angeles on Saturday. In the most thrilling back-and-forth victory this season, the Hoosiers came out on top 98-97 in double overtime.
Indiana held a 10-point lead with under two minutes to go before another late collapse forced overtime. Despite this, IU showed grit and heart in the extra sessions, making multiple clutch free throws and Wilkerson layups. In the end, Trent Sisley was fouled with under a second left in the second overtime and made the game-winning free throw.
Bailey, Dorn. and Wilkerson combined for 74 points with each scoring at least 24 individually in the victory. The squad as a whole also made a strong 31-38 from the free throw line, including 10-14 in the OT’s.
Afterwards, Coach DeVries spoke, Corazza wrote a Minute After, and Pos penned a column about IU’s character.
At 15-7 overall and 6-5 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers likely moved to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble with their first two quad one victories this season as they climb the conference standings. Their West Coast trip concludes on the other side of Los Angeles on Tuesday when they face USC at 10 pm on Peacock.
Banner #3: Indiana Snags Third Recruit For Next Fall
It wasn’t just on the court that major wins occurred this week. The victories also took place off it, as IU bagged a third big-time recruit for next fall.
Trevor Manhertz decided on Wednesday where he would play college basketball in 2026 and picked the Hoosiers. Manhertz is a top-75 wing and the third member of the class joining Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala.
Banner #4: Football Announces 2026 Fall Schedule
With their national championship now in the rearview mirror, the 2026 fall schedule was announced by the Big Ten for football this last week. While IU has had many big games in the last couple of years, pretty much every one of them has been on the road or at a neutral site.
This will change next year when Indiana has signature home games against Ohio State and USC. This is two of the eight matchups at Memorial Stadium next autumn.
The other piece of news related to the team is that star WR Omar Cooper Jr. declared for the NFL draft. However, even with him leaving, this room should be just as good going forward with the return of Charlie Becker and the addition of top-level Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh. Also, with Josh Hoover coming in to play QB, the Hoosiers should once again contend at the top of college football.
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?
Banner #5: Weekly Shows
Podcast on the Brink returned this week. On it, Alex Bozich was joined by Inside the Hall’s own Corazza to discuss IU’s victory over Purdue.
Also, 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-Swimming And Diving Beats Purdue and Louisville
Swimming and diving swept arch-rival Purdue and ranked Louisville.
Water polo beat a trio of opponents to continue its undefeated start to the season.
Women’s tennis swept Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky to remain perfect to open their year.
Wrestling beat Michigan State and lost to Illinois.
Track and field took part in multiple events this weekend.
Men’s soccer signed five players from the transfer portal.
Finally, women’s basketball lost to Purdue as well as Michigan this week. They have a legitimate chance, though, for their first Big Ten win when they face struggling Northwestern today.
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.
Love seeing IU finally get those signature wins when it mattered most. The UCLA double-OT game sounds absolutley insane and the fact they didnt fold after nearly blowing another late lead shows real mental toughness. My cousin played D1 ball and he always said those clutch free throw situations in overtime seperate teams that have championship DNA from those that don't.