The 2026–27 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team will represent Indiana State University during the 2026–27 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sycamores, led by third-year head coach Matthew Graves, will play their home games at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
| 2026–27 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Mark Slessinger |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Hulman Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belmont | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evansville | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UIC | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2027 MVC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
editThe Sycamores finished the 2025–26 season 11–21, 4–16 in MVC play to finish in 10th place.[1] They lost in the opening round of the MVC tournament to Valparaiso.[2]
Offseason
editDepartures
edit| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Young | 0 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Senior | Queens, NY | Graduated |
| Jayan Walker | 2 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Raleigh, NC | Transferred to Alcorn State[3] |
| Bruno Alocen | 4 | G | 6'6" | 180 | Sophomore | Barcelona, Spain | Transferred to Valparaiso[4] |
| Zyair Greene | 5 | G | 6'3" | 200 | GS | Atlanta, GA | Transfer portal |
| Jo Van Buggenhout | 6 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Junior | Antwerp, Belgium | Transfered to Sacred Heart[3][5] |
| Hunter Harding | 7 | C | 7'1" | 255 | Sophomore | Toronto, Ontario | Transferred to Elon[3][6] |
| Camp Wagner | 8 | G | 6'6" | 190 | Junior | Dallas, TX | Transferred to UC San Diego |
| Sivert Wærstad Nordheim | 9 | G | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Oslo, Norway | Transferred to Barry |
| Enel St. Bernard | 10 | F | 6'6" | 215 | Junior | Harford Village, Grenada | Transferred to Sam Houston[7] |
| Caden Huttenlocker | 12 | G | 6'2" | 185 | RS-Junior | Elletsville, IN | Transfer portal[8] |
| Cooper Bean | 13 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Noblesville, IN | Transferred to Truman State |
| Ian Scott | 23 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Senior | Plainfield, IN | Transfer portal |
| Derek Vorst | 35 | C | 6'10" | 250 | Junior | Luckey, OH | Transferred to Cleveland State[9] |
Incoming transfers
editOn April 9, 2026, EJ McQuillan became the first commit of the 2026–27 season. The 6'4" senior guard transferred from LSUA, where he averaged 20.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game last season.[10]
On April 20, 2026, Jackson Cooper, a 6'7" forward announced his commitment to the Sycamores. The Portland, Oregon native led Oregon Tech of the NAIA in scoring with 17.7 points and 5.8 assists.[11][12]
| Name | Number | Pos | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | Years remaining | Date eligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Cooper | 35 | F | 6'7" | Senior | Portland, OR | Oregon Tech | 1 | October 1, 2026 | |
| Karmani Gregory | 7 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Senior | Palmetto, FL | South Carolina Upstate | 1 | October 1, 2026 |
| EJ McQuillan | 1 | G | 6'4" | Senior | Port Allen, LA | LSUA | 1 | October 1, 2026 | |
| Maguire Mitchell | 13 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Sophomore | Zionsville, IN | IU Indy | 3 | October 1, 2026 |
| Duce Paschal | 9 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Sophomore | Portland, OR | Weber State | 3 | October 1, 2026 |
| Greyson Pritzl | 12 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Senior | West Allis, WI | Lander | 1 | October 1, 2026 |
| Chance Puryear | 5 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | SMU | 3 | October 1, 2026 |
| Aleksa Vlajic | 15 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Sophomore | Belgrade, Serbia | Buffalo | 3 | October 1, 2026 |
| Meechie White | 2 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Senior | Louisville, KY | Eastern Illinois | 1 | October 1, 2026 |
Recruiting classes
edit2026 recruiting class
edit| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alessio Calamita Forward |
FC Bayern Munich | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Apr 24, 2026 | ||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
2027 recruiting class
edit| College recruiting information (2027) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| |
N/A | N/A | ||||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
Roster
edit| 2026–27 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
edit| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition Season | |||||||||||
| October 10, 2026* |
at Butler | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN | |||||||||
| October 24, 2026* |
Rose–Hulman | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| Non-Conference Regular Season | |||||||||||
| November 2, 2026* |
Charlotte | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| November 6, 2026* |
at Ball State | Worthen Arena Muncie, IN | |||||||||
| November 11, 2026* |
Milwaukee | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| November 14, 2026* |
Earlham | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| November 20–23, 2026* |
vs. Paradise Jam |
UVI Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, USVI | |||||||||
| November 20–23, 2026* |
vs. Paradise Jam |
UVI Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, USVI | |||||||||
| November 20–23, 2026* |
vs. Paradise Jam |
UVI Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, USVI | |||||||||
| November 28, 2026* |
IU Columbus | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| December 2, 2026* |
SIU Edwardsville | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| December 6, 2026* |
Southern Indiana | Hulman Center Terre Haute, IN | |||||||||
| December 12, 2026* |
at Oregon | Matthew Knight Arena Eugene, OR | |||||||||
| December 22, 2026* |
at Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS | |||||||||
| Conference Regular Season | |||||||||||
| | |||||||||||
| Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
| * |
vs. Arch Madness Opening Round |
Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO | |||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time Zone. | |||||||||||
Sources:[13]
References
edit- ↑ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Standings – Missouri Valley Conference". mvc-sports.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
- ↑ Rush, Nick (March 5, 2026). "Sycamores conclude 2025–26 season with loss to Valparaiso". GoSycamores.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Derek Harper (May 21, 2026). "Three former Sycamores announce new destinations". The Tribune Star. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Bruno Alocen to Join Valpo Men's Basketball Program". Valpo Athletics. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Buyse, Peter (May 22, 2026). "Jo Van Buggenhout Joinst Sacred Heart University Basketball Team". USBasket.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Hunter Harding". Elon Phoenix. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Derek Harper (April 17, 2026). "St. Bernard headed to Sam Houston State". The Tribune-Star. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Derek Harper (April 6, 2026). "NCAA transfer portal opens; ISU coach confirms several Sycamores will enter". The Tribune-Star. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Cleveland State Men's Basketball Brings In Derek Vorst". CSU Vikings. May 11, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Men's basketball signs NAIA Second Team All-American EJ McQuillan". Indiana State Sycamores. April 9, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Men's basketball signs NAIA Second Team All-American Jackson Cooper". Indiana State Sycamores. April 20, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Derek Harper (April 21, 2026). "Jackson Cooper making jump from NAIA Oregon Tech to ISU". The Tribune-Star. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "2026–27 Basketball Schedule – Indiana State University Athletics". GoSycamores.com. Retrieved July 1, 2026.