Indiana basketball opens its 2026-27 regular season Monday night when the Hoosiers welcome Eastern Illinois to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

The matchup marks the beginning of Darian DeVries' second season at the helm of the Hoosiers, with a revamped Indiana roster looking to build on an encouraging three-game preseason that saw the Hoosiers win each of their exhibition contests.

Eastern Illinois enters the season under sixth-year coach Marty Simmons, whose Panthers have replaced all five starters from last year's 13-20 team.

Here's everything you need to know about Monday's opener.

How to watch Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois

Who: Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois

When: 7 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2

Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.

TV: Big Ten Plus; Ian Plaskoff (play-by-play), Ryan LaPedis (analyst), Kelsea Wilson (sideline)

Radio: IU Radio Network; Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst)

Monday's game will stream exclusively on Big Ten Plus, the Big Ten Network's subscription streaming service.

Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois series history

Indiana has won all three previous meetings against Eastern Illinois, defeating the Panthers by an average of nearly 38 points.

The programs first met in the opening round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, when Alan Henderson recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-55 Indiana win.

Their most recent meeting came on Nov. 10, 2024, when the Hoosiers cruised to a 90-55 victory in Bloomington.

Indiana has historically dominated its home openers, compiling a 52-3 record at Assembly Hall since the building opened in 1971. The Hoosiers have won eight consecutive home openers, while DeVries enters Monday with an unblemished 8-0 career record in such games.

Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois outlook

Three exhibitions offered plenty of reasons for optimism, but Monday marks the first opportunity to see whether Indiana can carry that momentum into the regular season.

The Hoosiers' dominance on the glass was arguably their most encouraging preseason development. After making rebounding a priority during the offseason, DeVries watched his team consistently create second-chance opportunities while limiting opponents to one shot.

Now comes the challenge of making that a nightly habit rather than an exhibition trend.

I'll also be watching how Indiana's rotation takes shape now that the games count. Bryce Lindsay's emergence as a scoring threat off the bench and freshman Trevor Manhertz's encouraging preseason have given DeVries some interesting decisions to make.

The Hoosiers have shown flashes of what they could become. Monday is their first chance to begin turning that potential into something tangible.