Report: IU to host Louisiana-Lafayette next season

Mike Woodson’s first non-conference schedule is quickly filling up.

Errr ... well, maybe not filling up, exactly. But we’re ever-so-gradually getting there. Three days after word leaked about Indiana’s second buy game for the 2021-22 campaign, CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein reported Thursday night that the Hoosiers will also host Louisiana-Lafayette as part of their non-conference schedule in coach Mike Woodson’s first season.

The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 17-9 last season, ending up at No. 201 in both the KenPom and Bart Torvik rankings. The latter site forecasts coach Bob Marlin’s group as the No. 130 team nationally entering the fall. It looks like Louisiana will at least have an interesting roster to bring to Bloomington whenever its matchup with IU takes place — the date is not yet known. The team returns leading scorer Cedric Russell, who averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 40% from 3-point range last season. Louisiana also recently added former McDonald’s All-American Jordan Brown, who earned Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year honors this past season after averaging 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds for Arizona.

As for IU, this is the third buy game that has been made public so far. The D1 Docket reported earlier in the week that the Hoosiers will host Northern Kentucky, and Rothstein reported last month that Woodson has also purchased a game against Merrimack.

We’re still waiting on those sweet, sweet ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups, and there’s also a possibility that IU lands a game in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. IU will face Notre Dame in the annual Crossroads Classic event.

At the rate of recent scheduling news, we may know more about Indiana’s upcoming slate sooner than later.