The Indiana Hoosiers travel to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their Big Ten opener on Wednesday night at Williams Arena. Indiana enters with a 6-1 record after dominating non-conference play, while Minnesota sits at 4-4 following three straight losses. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET on BTN.
Indiana basketball opens its 2025-26 Big Ten schedule against Minnesota on December 3, 2025, marking the first road game of the Darian DeVries era. The Hoosiers have won six of their first seven games by at least 17 points, with their only loss coming earlier in the season. This matchup is the first of two between the teams this year, with the rematch set for March 4, 2026, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Minnesota, under first-year coach Niko Medved, has struggled with injuries. Forward BJ Omot has missed the first seven games, while starters Chansey Willis (broken foot, out for the season) and Robert Vaihola (knee injury, unavailable) are sidelined. In their most recent loss, an 86-75 defeat to Santa Clara, the Gophers used just seven players.
Key Minnesota Players
Cade Tyson leads Minnesota with 22.4 points per game, shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three, while adding 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson contributes 12.4 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game, though his efficiency on two-pointers is down to 44.4 percent. Isaac Asuma averages 9.3 points and leads with 4.4 assists, making 12 threes. Langston Reynolds starts in place of Willis, scoring in double figures four times but struggling at the free-throw line (11-for-30). Grayson Grove rounds out the starters with 2.4 points and rebounds in limited minutes.
Off the bench, Bobby Durkin averages 6.1 points, and freshman Kai Shinholster adds 3.3 points.
Indiana Injury Update
Freshman guard Aleksa Ristic is listed as questionable with a foot injury that has kept him out of the first seven games. Jason Drake, Josh Harris, and walk-on Drew Snively are out for the Hoosiers.
Preview Stats
Indiana leads the all-time series 110-69, with an 82-67 win in their last meeting on December 9, 2024. Betting lines have Indiana as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 143.5 points. KenPom projects a 74-66 Indiana win with a 78 percent chance of victory; Bart Torvik sees IU winning by six with 73 percent odds.
Minnesota excels on the offensive glass (36.6 percent) and free-throw attempts (225 vs. opponents' 144), but shoots just 31 percent from three and 66.7 percent from the line. Defensively, they hold foes to 45.9 percent on twos. The Gophers rank 355th in adjusted tempo, preferring a slow pace. Indiana must hit threes, as three opponents have made 11 or more against Minnesota this season.
