IU basketball’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule was finalized on July 1 and Inside the Hall will have a team-by-team look at each opponent. First up: Marquette.
The Darian DeVries era in Bloomington will tip off with a challenging non-conference schedule. With four high-major opponents on the slate, including two neutral-site battles and a true road game, the Hoosiers will be tested early. This mini-series on IU’s non-conference opponents for next season will examine the four high-major opponents and review the rest of the schedule.
Up first: Marquette (23-11 overall in 2024-25, 13-7 in conference play)
Shaka Smart enters year five in Milwaukee fresh off guiding the Golden Eagles to their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance. Marquette exited in disappointing fashion, losing as a No. 7 seed to No. 10 seed New Mexico in the first round.
Marquette roster outlook
Marquette and Smart are a novelty in the current college basketball landscape, as the Golden Eagles remain the sole power conference program not to bring in a transfer player since the 2022-23 season.
Marquette loses a hearty amount of production. NBA draftee Kam Jones ran the show and was one of three Division I players with 600+ points and 200+ assists last season. Stevie Mitchell was a pesky on-ball defender and David Joplin was a reliable scorer. The trio were Marquette’s three leading scorers.
Solely relying on incoming freshmen and player development, Smart hauled in the No. 21 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Nigel James is the highest rated of the four-man class, coming in as a top-85 247Sports Composite prospect. Joining the 6-foot point guard 4-star are two additional 4-stars in combo guard Adrien Stevens and small forward Michael Phillips, plus 3-star forward Ian Miletic.
Chase Ross and Ben Gold are the two proven names to watch next year. Ross, a 6-foot-5 guard, started all 34 games and averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 46.6 percent shooting. The 6-foot-11 Gold also started every game and averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds on 43.4 percent shooting, including 37.1 percent from deep on 143 attempts.
The matchup
The first thing that sticks out when examining these two teams and their matchup is the size, or lack thereof. For IU, 6-foot-10 Reed Bailey is the tallest Hoosier on the roster and he doesn’t play like a traditional big and isn’t a menacing defensive presence. For Marquette, the same is true for Gold, who likes to play outside and only recorded 28 blocks last year. The Golden Eagles do have 7-foot-1 Joshua Clark, but he did not record any minutes last year and is unproven.
It’s hard to get a gauge on Marquette because of its relative inexperience. Outside of Ross and Gold, forward Royce Parham and guard Zaine Lowery are the only other rostered players who logged more than 10 minutes per game.
It could come down to a 3-point shootout in the United Center. Under Smart, Marquette has hoisted more than 900 3-point attempts in three straight seasons and with its personnel can likely make it a fourth consecutive year. For Indiana, DeVries has been emphatic about the team’s prioritization of the long ball this offseason, and the Hoosiers’ roster is well-equipped for it.
The fan split will be interesting. The Golden Eagles have a passionate fanbase and are just over 90 minutes from Milwaukee to Chicago. The Windy City is also a hot spot for IU alumni and not much needs to be said for the Hoosier faithful’s passion and willingness to travel.
The matchup is particularly intriguing because it’s so early, being in the first week of the regular season. This will present challenges for both teams, as Marquette’s youth and inexperienced players will be tested early, but so will Indiana’s transfer-heavy roster, which is trying to mesh and establish chemistry.
(Photo credit: Marquette Athletics)
Category: Commentary
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