Indiana men’s basketball began the season as expected, with a 47-point thumping of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University on Nov. 5. The Hoosiers’ following contest — against Marquette University on Nov. 9 in Chicago — was supposed to be a much more equal affair.
The Golden Eagles made the NCAA Tournament each of their first four seasons under head coach Shaka Smart. Smart, now in his fifth year with Marquette, has had 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in his career with a record of 100-42.
But the Hoosiers were up for the challenge. Indiana exploded for 100 points in a 23-point victory over the Golden Eagles. It was the most points a Division I team coached by Smart has ever given up.
The Hoosiers were led by redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries — who was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, becoming the first Hoosier to earn the award since Trayce Jackson-Davis in March 2023. DeVries scored 27 points in the contest, with 24 coming in the first half, while fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson shined late with 15 second half points.
The Hoosiers knocked down 14 3-pointers and dished out 27 assists in their first contest against a power conference opponent. Both marks would have been season-highs in 2024-25. Wilkerson’s eight assists were a career high, and the Hoosiers shot 20 for 24 from the free throw line.
Sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway tallied eight assists, and freshman forward Trent Sisley and senior forward Sam Alexis added 15 and 13 points, respectively, as the Hoosiers dominated the Golden Eagles.
Following the dominant performance over Marquette, Indiana is set to take on the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Meet the Panthers
When head coach Bart Lundy took the helm of Milwaukee in 2022, he inherited a program coming off six straight losing seasons. After three years leading the Panthers, Lundy’s teams have yet to win less than 20 games.
In 2024-25, Milwaukee went 21-11 before having its NCAA Tournament hopes dashed in an upset loss to Oakland University in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Milwaukee was picked to finish first in the Horizon League in the 2025-26 Under Armour #HLMBB Preseason Poll. In its first three contests, the Panthers have gone 2-1 with home victories over Hampton University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a road loss to Wofford College.
The Panthers are led by a pair of transfer guards — senior Seth Hubbard from the University of Toledo and redshirt senior Amar Augillard from Fresno State University. Hubbard, Augillard and graduate forward Faizon Fields earned preseason all-conference honors.
To start the season, Hubbard is averaging a team-high 19.3 points per game. He’s joined in the double digits by Augillard (12.3) and freshman guard Stevie Elam (10.3).
As a team, the Panthers have shot 39% from beyond the arc, averaging 10 3-pointers per game. Hubbard, Augillard and Elam have combined to make 22 of Milwaukee’s 30 3-pointers.
Like the Hoosiers, just over a third of the Panthers’ points have come from beyond the arc to start the year.
In addition to its newcomers, Milwaukee also returned key production from years past. Junior guard Esyah Pippa-White played only four minutes per game last season, but he’s started two of the Panthers’ first three games this year, averaging 7.3 points per contest.
Along with Fields and Pippa-White, the Panthers brought back senior guard John Lovelace Jr., senior forward Danilo Jovanovich and redshirt senior guard Aaron Franklin. All three contributed in rotational roles throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
Indiana will take on Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The contest will mark the first ever meeting between the Hoosiers and the Panthers, as both teams look to build on promising starts to the season. Coverage of the game will be available on FS1.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
