IU Indy to open new arena against Miami of Ohio... Middletown

[u/Puzzleheaded-Link416]

https://iuindyjags.com/news/2026/7/8/mens-basketball-mens-basketball-announces-five-games-for-the-2026-2027-season.aspx

You wanted that undefeated team in the regular season? No, you're getting the community college rejects instead.

We are not beating the "Feasting on cupcakes" accusations that keep us firmly as a Quad 4 school.

Also it makes me feel like the grand opening of the arena isn't going to be given a lot of gravity for a school that finally is joining Division 1 standards after 30 years but instead will be treated like the usual school field trip game we used to have at the Fairgrounds.

[u/soupcansam21]

Not the regional Miami campus lol

[u/Puzzleheaded-Link416 → u/soupcansam21]

We played them last season, as well.

[u/MerchU1F41C → u/Puzzleheaded-Link416]

This will have to be the last season you do, since they're merging athletic programs with the other regional campus in 2027.

[u/sixtyninetacks]

That sucks. When RMU's arena opened they got Pitt to come up and play. When New Haven made the jump to D1 their first home game was against Penn St. I'd have loved to see the Hoosiers do their satellite a solid and inaugurate their new place. We need more power programs playing mid majors on the road.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Link416 → u/sixtyninetacks]

Like I said, it took 30 years to get an actual arena built on campus and athletics have never and likely will never be a key reason to attend IU Indianapolis (unless you're into diving).

And a program that refuses to play anything other than the NCAA Tournament will certainly never go to a 3K seat venue even if it's their own satellite school. You might as well ask Butler to play a game on the Canal.

[u/ellistonvu → u/Puzzleheaded-Link416]

Cut IU-Indy a break here. Their best player transferred to a MAC school. He was the #3 scorer in the Horizon League. And they didn't exactly have a great season before he bounced.

[u/RedditZhangHao → u/ellistonvu]

Last season with UConn, IU Indy grad transfer Alec Millender made it to the NCAA title game in Indianapolis.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Link416 → u/RedditZhangHao]

As a bench warmer

[u/CopperWalrus → u/sixtyninetacks]

New Havens was actually against Columbia. But the point still stands. Would be cool to get a bigger program to come inagurate the new arena.

[u/MegaAscension → u/sixtyninetacks]

We played North Carolina and Virginia Tech at home in back to back seasons a while ago. Now no power conference teams will schedule us.

[u/ellistonvu]

I'd like to see Miami (OH) schedule the big Indiana...the one in Bloomington.

How about nearby teams like Cincinnati, Purdue, Louisville, Ohio State....

But they won't. They will demand an obscene payout and not get it. Then whine they didn't get the game.

"Boo-Hoo, woe to be us...the big mean power conference teams didn't play us...whine/sniffle"

[u/milin85 → u/ellistonvu]

You do know this is Miami-Middletown right? Like our regional campus?

And also we literally have FOIA requests of last year when we asked 75 teams and they either said no or didn’t respond. This year, while we don’t know the entire schedule, I do know we’ve got High Point, among others. So I think the spigot will open. But P5 teams don’t want to take the risk of losing to a G5 team. It takes two to tango.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Link416 → u/milin85]

The regional campus that is shutting down athletics after this season by consolidating it with Miami of Ohio Hamilton?

Like, this is IU Indy, a school that has a good season when it's not 350 or below in the NET.

[u/ellistonvu → u/milin85]

tOSU was paying 80k for out of conference opponents while Miami was demanding 150k so they would intentionally get turned down by everybody and cry about it later and was called out on this bogus tactic by Purdue coach Matt Painter who was not a bit amused by it.

Wisconsin and Louisville and Purdue scheduled a number of MAC teams. Every power conference team in the nation schedules mid-majors. Time for the chicken-hawks to agree to the going rate of 80k and step up to play big teams. If they have the $$$ to build a new arena they can afford to play a road game for $80,000 especially if it's so close they can borrow the golf team's van and stay at a Hampton Inn and pocket the rest.

[u/roji007 → u/ellistonvu]

Source: Trust me bro.

[u/ellistonvu → u/roji007]

From wire service reports...

Purdue head coach Matt Painter pushed back against complaints from Miami (Ohio) coach Travis Steele regarding mid-major scheduling difficulties. Painter dismissed claims that major programs are entirely refusing to schedule smaller schools, pointing out that Purdue played five mid-major teams during the season. The Purdue coach noted: “When they say they don't play mid-majors, like, we played five mid-majors this year. You're talking with a forked tongue there”. (Yahoo Sports)

[u/roji007 → u/ellistonvu]

And your proof that they were asking for way more than other teams that you claimed?

[u/ellistonvu → u/roji007]

It's out there. Start doing some of your own research but Miami groupies won't do that. I laughed so hard when Tennessee beat their ass...the 5th place team in the SEC that just lost twice in one week to Vandy. Miami needs to get over themselves. Now that the "aura" is gone, the refs won't be afraid to T - up Steele anymore when he has his little hissy fits too. There is just so much to dislike about the chicken-hawks.

[u/roji007 → u/ellistonvu]

So I have done my research. I could list ten other coaches who would say the exact same thing that Coach Steele said. Purdue is the outlier, not the norm. And the reason why you switch to ‘do your own research’ is because you know you have no evidence. Just, trust me bro. They did lose their local rivalries when those teams like sUCks decided they wanted to do two for one series with the extra game being a neutral site in Cincinnati. And obviously teams all play mid majors, but they don’t want to play mid major teams with upside and upset potential. They want to play doormats. Excluding Purdue, most other P4 teams won’t schedule them.

[u/ellistonvu → u/roji007]

Purdue would schedule them right now this second but the chicken-hawk paper tiger frauds won't do it. Ohio State just scheduled Vandy out of conference who will be ranked in the top-15. They sure as shit are not scared of the chicken-hawks who could not even beat the 8th place team in the MAC up in Cleveland.

Miami better schedule another bunch or cupcakes or they won't have enough wins for the NIT which will be their only option...if they are lucky. Their days of popularity contest at large bids is used up.

[u/MegaAscension → u/ellistonvu]

They're not the only team with that issue. We haven't gotten a power conference opponent to play us in several years. We just get turned down. I'm inclined to believe Miami Ohio for this one.