Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Stars Light Up Top-Tier Event Party!
After going First Four Out on the tournament bracket, the Hoosiers are choosing to end their season completely.
The 2026 March Madness bracket is out, and Indiana is one of the unlucky teams fall just short. With 68 teams making the final field , the Hoosiers were one of the first four out, alongside Oklahoma, Auburn and San Diego State. Normally, those first four out have the chance to play in a secondary tournament, such as the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) or the College Basketball Crown.
But, per multiple reports, Indiana intends to decline any invitations to a non-NCAA postseason. The decision brings an end to the Hoosiers’ 2025-2026 season, where the team went 18-14 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play. Though a 1-5 stretch to end the regular season seems to have contributed to their tournament snub, the final blow was a 74-61 upset loss to No.
15-seeded Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten conference tournament. It also marks an end to Darian DeVries’ first year with the team, after the former West Virginia head coach was hired last March . The Hoosiers aren’t the only team opting not to join the NIT: Belmont, whose longtime head coach Casey Alexander is leaving for Kansas State, also declined to participate in the tournament as a result.
Even with Indiana falling just short, the Big Ten will have plenty of representation at the tournament: Nine Big Ten teams will be playing in March Madness, led by No. 1-seeded Michigan and recent conference tournament champs Purdue, who took the No. 2 seed as a result.