Hoosiers Release 2009-10 Schedule

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University men’s basketball team will open the 2009-10 regular season in Assembly Hall on Friday, November 13 when they face Howard, the first of 17 regular season home basketball games in Bloomington.

Indiana will play eight non-conference games at home and nine in the Big Ten as it begins its second season under head coach Tom Crean. All 30 regular season games will air on television, either on the Big Ten Network, the ESPN family of networks, or CBS. Times and television assignments for a select few home non-conference games will be determined soon.

The Hoosiers also will play exhibition games versus in-state colleges at home on November 4 against Grace and November 9 against Saint Joseph’s.

“I certainly believe that this will be a challenging schedule for a team that is as young as ours,” said Crean. “Our fans are going to have the opportunity to see an excellent Maryland team in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and you always look forward to the chance to play a program like Kentucky on your home floor. Our players are going to benefit from the task of playing three games in three days in Puerto Rico. Taking on Pittsburgh in the Jimmy V
Classic in Madison Square Garden, with the Panthers experience and success in that historic facility, will offer a similar challenge as a true road game.”

After a home game against USC-Upstate on November 16, Indiana will venture to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tipoff where they will face Ole Miss in the first round on November 19. IU will play either Kansas State or
Boston University on November 20. The final day of the event is November 22 where the Hoosiers could play Villanova, Dayton, George Mason or Georgia Tech. The event will be shown on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

A home game over Thanksgiving weekend, November 28, against Northwestern State (La.) will lead the Hoosiers into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Assembly Hall against Maryland on December 1. A week later on December 8, IU will travel to Madison Square Garden to face Pittsburgh in the nitecap of the Jimmy V Classic on ESPN.

Kentucky returns to Bloomington for a noon affair on December 12 that will air on CBS. This begins a stretch of five straight home games for the Cream and Crimson. After a week off for finals, Indiana returns to the floor on December 19 against North Carolina Central, on December 22, the Hoosiers tangle with Loyola (Md.), and following Christmas break, IU hosts Bryant on December
28.

The Big Ten schedule begins on New Years Eve when IU hosts Michigan for a noon start on ESPN2. During the conference schedule, the Hoosiers will alternate one game at home and one game on the road until the 16th game
of the schedule on February 28 when they visit Iowa and March 2/3/4 when they are scheduled to travel to Purdue.

Senior Day is scheduled for March 6 when IU hosts Northwestern. The Big Ten Tournament will be held again in Indianapolis in Conseco Fieldhouse, March 11-14.