By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The 2026-27 Indiana University Men’s Basketball Team will take the floor tonight at 7 PM inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall but it will not be the traditional Cream and Crimson Uniforms with Indiana across the chest that the Hoosiers will be wearing.
Instead, the Hoosiers will be wearing Team USA Uniforms with the IU Logo on the Back of Jersey and the Shorts as they get ready to represent the United States in the Fourth Edition of the FISU America Games which will be held in Lima Peru from July 20, through August 1st. The FISU America Games is a multi-sport event between College Athletes representing the Americas every two years.
The Hoosiers were selected to represent the United States in the Competition, and they will host College Jean de-Brebeuf from Montreal Quebec, Canada in an Exhibition Game as they will represent Canada in the FISU America Games.
College Jean de-Brebeuf is both a private Secondary and Collegiate School who colors are Burgundy and Beige and like the Hoosiers they will be wearing the Red and White of Team Canada instead of their traditional uniforms as both teams get one tune-up before they head to Peru for the games.
The Doors will open to the public at 5:30 PM and Fans are encouraged to park for free by using Gates 2,4, 12 and 14. There will be a post-game autograph session on the court after the game. The game will also be played on FIBA Rules which means four 10-minute quarters and a basketball that is used in all FIBA Competitions instead of the one used in the college game.
Indiana Head Coach Darian DeVries returns just one player from a season ago in Sophomore Trent Sisley who averaged 4.2 Points and 2.8 Rebounds per game a year ago. The Hoosiers brought in 7 transfers including Markus Burton from Notre Dame, Darren Harris from Duke, Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, Jaden Mustaf from Georgia Tech, Justin Monden from Maryland Eastern Shore, Aiden Sherrill from Alabama and Samet Yigitoglu from SMU.
The Hoosiers added four Freshman to the team with Vaughn Karvala from CIA Bella Vista Prep in Arizona. Trevor Manhertz from the Christ School in North Carolina. Prince Alexander-Moody from Bishop McNamara in Maryland and Clemens Sokolov from Germany.
Walk Ons Jordan Rayford, Drew Snively and Ian Stephens return from a season ago and 6-10 Sophomore Ben Winker transfers from Cal State Fullerton round out the team for Darien DeVries second season in Bloomington.
It is important to know that Indiana is representing the United States in this event that they will not have 7-2 Samet Yigitoglu or 6-11 Clemens Sokolov available because they are not United States citizens and are not eligible to play in this tournament. Yigitoglu is from Turkey and Sokolov is from Germany.
This is second time in two years that Indiana is taking a trip overseas. Last year the Hoosiers played in Puerto Rico with a team that had no returning scholarship players. The trip gave them extra practice time which is allowed when you prepare for a foreign trip and helps get the team together before the actual season starts in the fall. This year the NCAA changed the rules and now teams are allowed to take a trip every year instead of every four years like before.
The Hoosiers have been preparing and getting ready for this once in a lifetime experience and with a brand-new team for the second straight year the extra time they are given will be beneficial once the season gets going later in the fall. For Indiana Basketball Fans is a rare chance to see their team during the summer and even though the jerseys will USA instead of Indiana it will still be the same feeling, but they will be representing Indiana but also the Red, White and Blue of the United States of America.