Why and why not Indiana men’s basketball makes the NCAA Tournament

We’ve finally reached March and Indiana men’s basketball, with a new head coach, roster, playing philosophy and more, finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble once again.

The Hoosiers finished right about exactly where they were predicted to land at 10th in the final Big Ten standings, but losses in five of their last six regular season games have left fans feeling restless. Worse yet, four of those losses were by double-digit margins. Yet, somehow, Indiana is still firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture. How, you ask?

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The bubble is terrible. When Indiana lost to Ohio State, so did pretty much every other team on the bubble. The Hoosiers actually moved up a bit because a home win over Wisconsin got bumped up to Quad 1 when the Badgers took down Purdue.

How the Hoosiers can go dancing

Indiana has to, at the very least, beat Northwestern today. A loss to the Wildcats leaves the Hoosiers with no games left to play and no further control over their own destiny. A win would match Indiana up with Purdue on Thursday, with another victory there almost ensuring a spot barring unforeseen circumstances.

Auburn loses to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. A loss drops the Tigers to .500 overall on the season. The metrics generally like Auburn, which is a bit of a half-team with a great offense but an atrocious defense. If there’s two teams really battling for the last spot right now, it’s Indiana and Auburn.

Texas loses to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. Texas, like Auburn, has some favorable metrics on its side. The Longhorns have a stronger case than the Hoosiers at the moment, but that can easily change with a loss to a bad Rebels team.

SMU falls to Louisville in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday. SMU has a biiit of a stronger case than Indiana having reached the 20-win threshold. Also like Indiana, the Mustangs kinda fell apart at the end of the season. They’ll face a good team that’s a lock in ACC Tournament, so the Hoosiers have…

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Publish date : 2026-03-11 18:13:00

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