INDIANAPOLIS – With new rules permitting NCAA Division I schools to compete against each other in exhibition games, the Indiana men’s basketball team has scheduled an exhibition game against powerhouse-Big 12 opponent Baylor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, Oct. 26. The Indy Showdown will be managed by veteran event promoter bdG Sports, which made the announcement Friday.

Previously, NCAA rules only permitted Division I institutions to meet in an exhibition if the game was played for charity. But the rules were changed this year providing the schools this opportunity as long as no class time was missed.

“Adding Baylor to our exhibition schedule was an important piece to our non-conference slate,” Indiana head men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries said. “Baylor is always a talented, well-coached team that will help prepare us for our season. We are excited to showcase this game in front of Hoosier Nation in Indianapolis.”

For IU, this will be the first of two games played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. The Hoosiers will play Louisville there in a nationally televised CBS game on Saturday, Dec. 6.

DeVries, who tips off his first season as the head coach at IU, will have a top-10 portal class, per 247 Sports, led by Tucker DeVries (West Virginia), Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State) and forward Reed Bailey (Davidson).

Circle City holds special significance in the history of the Baylor men’s basketball program as the Bears won the 2021 national championship there during the pandemic-impacted season. Baylor ranks as one of only five schools to be listed inside the top 10 in each of the last six seasons. Head coach Scott Drew led the Bears to their program-best sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago and has retooled his roster for the coming season with a Top-25 class from the portal according to 247 Sports. Michael Rataj (Oregon State), Obi Agbim (Oklahoma State), Dan Skillings (Cincinnati) and JJ White (Omaha) headline the list of portal newcomers.

“We are excited about returning to Indianapolis in October, a city that holds fond memories for the Baylor Family,” Drew said. “Playing against an opponent like Indiana in its home state is a great chance for our team to experience what it will be like playing on the road in the Big 12 Conference. We are grateful to bdG Sports for providing this unique opportunity to compete in an NBA arena against one of the nation’s most storied programs.”

Game time and television information for the exhibition will be announced later.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. ET at Ticketmaster.com.

The two teams met once before, in a regular-season game on Dec. 13, 1980, which IU won, 83-47.

Records and statistics accumulated in the exhibition matchup will not count toward regular-season totals.

CINCINNATI – Longtime men’s basketball foes Louisville and Cincinnati will clash in the Hoops Classic presented in partnership with CareSource, a nonprofit managed care organization. This two-year, neutral-site series kicks off with a matchup on Friday, Nov. 21, at Heritage Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati.  Both schools, along with veteran event promoter, bdG Sports, announced the series on Wednesday. The second game will take place at Freedom Hall in Louisville during the 2026-27 campaign, marking the Cardinals’ first return to the venue since they moved to the KFC Yum! Center.

Start time and television information for the 2025-26 meeting will be announced later.

The atmosphere inside Heritage Bank Center will be electric with the two fan bases well represented within the neutral site arena. Tickets go on sale to the public starting Thursday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. ET, at HeritageBankCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster app.

Louisville and Cincinnati have met on the hardwood 100 times in series history with the Cardinals owning a 56-44 advantage. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, with UC earning an 81-62 victory in the last matchup at the 2022 Maui Invitational.

Dating back to 1921, the rivalry is the longest in program history for Louisville and second-longest for Cincinnati, behind only a 132-game series with Miami (Ohio). Through the years, the schools were league rivals during stints in the Missouri Valley Conference, Metro Conference, Conference USA, Big East Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

“Adding a neutral-site game against Cincinnati was just another great piece in our scheduling puzzle,” said Louisville head coach and Cincinnati native Pat Kelsey. “There is great history between our two programs as we were rivals for many years. I sense the fan bases on both sides are excited. I grew up going to the Riverfront Coliseum which is now Heritage Bank Center. In fact, it was the first place that I saw Coach Crum’s Louisville Cardinals play live – I’m excited to coach the 2025-26 edition of the Cards in the same venue.”

Louisville should enter the 2025-26 campaign ranked among the nation’s Top 15 teams, according to many preseason listings. Newcomers for Kelsey’s second squad include portal additions Isaac McKneely (Virginia), Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) along with highly touted freshmen Mikel Brown and Sananda Fru. The Cardinals continue to build momentum after a rebirth a year ago that saw the program advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Louisville posted a 27-8 overall mark while tying for second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 18-2.

“We’re excited to renew our historic rivalry with Louisville at Heritage Bank Center,” UC head coach Wes Miller said. “It’s a great early season test against a tough opponent, and I know our fans will create an incredible environment. We’ve put together a challenging non-conference schedule to help us grow as a team, and this is another opportunity to compete at a high level and prepare us for Big 12 play.”

Miller gathered a Top 20 class through the portal this offseason for Cincinnati, including Moustapha Thiam (UCF), Jalen Celestine (Baylor), Kerr Kriisa (Kentucky), Sencire Harris (West Virginia) and standout incoming freshmen Shon Abaev and Keyshuan Tillery. The Bearcats have sights set on their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, after back-to-back NIT appearances and a showing in the College Basketball Crown over the past three seasons.

Cincinnati has played a game at Heritage Bank Center each of the past two seasons, taking on in-state rival Dayton in the “Hoops Classic.” The Flyers won the 2023 meeting, 82-66, before the Bearcats earned a 66-59 victory in a matchup of Top 25 teams last season.

CareSource is proud to sponsor The Hoops Classic, reflecting the organization’s commitment to community engagement and healthy lifestyles through sports. As part of their support for the game, CareSource will host a donation drive benefiting a local nonprofit organization. Fans will be encouraged to bring items to the game for a chance to win prizes. Additional details will be announced soon. This initiative reflects CareSource’s ongoing commitment to the communities it serves. Each year, CareSource and its employees support over 470 community-based organizations focused on crucial areas such as food security, access to healthcare, maternal and infant health, housing and mental health.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball will host Nicholls State University, Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois this coming November as part of the BBN United Tipoff Classic presented by Kentucky Tourism, the program announced on Monday.

The three game multi-team event completes the Wildcats’ regular-season schedule for 2025-26. Kentucky will host Nicholls on Nov. 4 in the season opener before facing Valparaiso on Nov. 7 and Eastern Illinois on Nov. 14. Game times and television assignments will be announced at a later date.