How IU football’s winning ways has become teaching tool for Indiana basketball

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana football’s fourth-quarter comeback at Nebraska on Saturday afternoon served as a pivotal lesson for the Hoosier men’s basketball team.

IU football, facing its first loss since 2024, rallied from an 11-point deficit with 12 minutes left in the game to score two touchdowns and win by three points on the road. Coach Curt Cignetti said he told his team that “good teams find a way to win games like this.”

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That’s exactly the type of mentality IU men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries wants to bring to his own team.

“Ironically, we used our football team to talk about that a little bit, and why have they been successful?” DeVries said following IU’s 96-68 exhibition win over Butler. “We use that from last year and this year. Their ability to believe in what they’re doing, stay disciplined in the details, not get emotional with ups and downs, those types of things.”

Sure, it wasn’t nearly as high of stakes as IU football’s 22-game win streak; it was an exhibition game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, and Butler had cut Indiana’s lead to just three points at halftime. But that mentality powered the Hoosiers through a dominant second half.

But the mentality, whether it’s the first exhibition game of the year or the national championship, needs to be the same. That’s how teams stay consistent throughout the year.

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“It was what things have they done that have helped them win tight games like that?” DeVries said. “Winning’s winning. The formula is the same in almost every sport. You have to be very disciplined. You have to believe in that discipline, and it has to be consistent. And our guys, we’re getting there. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer.”

Instant analysis: 3 things that stood out from Indiana basketball’s exhibition win at Butler

IU had 11 scholarship newcomers this year as DeVries largely built his roster through the transfer portal for the second straight season. The starting five DeVries used — guards Darren Harris, Markus…

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Publish date : 2026-10-12 08:37:00

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