COLUMBUS, Ohio - The IU Indianapolis men's basketball team will officially kickoff the 2025-26 season on Monday night (Nov. 3) when the Jaguars take on Ohio State inside the Schottenstein Center on B10+. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. 

Monday's game officially kicks off the Ben Howlett-era of IU Indy basketball. Howlett, an Ohio-native, took over the program after a highly successful eight-year run as head coach at Division II West Liberty University. During that span, he amassed 217 victories and an .854 winning percentage. Howlett's program famously runs 'The System', which emphasizes high pressure, a full-court press and takes opponents out of their comfort zone. Offensively, players are given freedom and make quick decisions to push the pace and maximize possessions. 

Howlett is the first head coach to bring 'The System' to the Division I men's game. 

His West Liberty squad went 30-5 last season and averaged 100.2 points per game with a +8.9 turnover margin per contest. 

His inaugural IU Indy squad is built around four members of last year's West Lib team in senior Finley Woodward, junior Kyler D'Augustino and sophomores JP Dragas and Kameron Tinsley. The Jaguars will also lean heavily on a pair of Division I transfers in Micah Davis (Eastern Kentucky) and Jaxon Edwards (St. Bonaventure), both of who are returning to Indianapolis after beginning their collegiate careers elsewhere. True freshmen Reece Hagy and Maguire Mitchell should also be key figures from day one. 

QUOTABLE
"Well I don't think many people expect much from us and to me that's all I need to hear. We were picked second to last in our league and I don't think we have the respect of a lot of other teams. So maybe just proving some people wrong and doing it the right way with a different style of play," Howlett told WISH-TV's Angela Moryan in a recent interview. 

LAST TIME OUT
IU Indy closed out the 2024-25 season with a 98-85 loss at Wright State in the opening round of last year's Horizon League Tournament. All five starters reached double-digits in that game, paced by Jarvis Walker's 20 points. Current Ohio State forward Brandon Noel starred for Wright State in that contest with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. 

INSIDE THE SERIES
IU Indy is 0-3 all-time against Ohio State with all three losses coming in Columbus. The most recent meeting was an 83-37 loss on Jan. 18, 2022. The prior two defeats were by 11 and 13 points, respectively. 

UP NEXT
The Jaguars will return home to host LIU on Thursday night (Nov. 6) at 6:30 p.m. inside the Jungle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Rick Johnston (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) are on the call.