Landing a player like Markus Burton has Hoosier fans excited to see what Darian DeVries can do during his second season at the helm of the Indiana basketball program.
Burton heads to Bloomington ranked as the No. 24 overall player and the No. 6 point guard in the portal according to 247Sports. The 6'0" 190-pound playmaker was one of the ACC's top scorers over the past three seasons.
As a freshman in 2023-24, Burton led all ACC rookies with 17.5 points per game and earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He increased that number to an impressive 21.3 points per game as a sophomore, which led the entire ACC. He then averaged 18.5 points over 10 games this past season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Now healthy, Burton is expected to be Indiana's starting point guard in the fall, and he is poised for a successful season. Here are two bold predictions that would be best-case scenario for the Notre Dame transfer in 2026-27 with the Hoosiers.
Markus Burton will finish top-3 in the Big Ten in scoring
Northwestern's Nick Martinelli led the Big Ten by scoring 23.0 points per game last season. Second on that list was Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson, who averaged 20.9 points per game and set and IU program record by scoring 464 total points in Big Ten conference play. Burton figures to take on a leading role this season, and seems to be the main player looked upon to replace the production that Wilkerson brought to the table.
Burton's scoring prowess is well-documented, and he can score in a wide variety of ways. The Mishawaka native can take defenders 1-on-1 to the rim, create his shot off the dribble in the mid-range, and can be a reliable three-point shooting threat. He is also an elite free throw shooter, as he owns a career free throw percentage of 84.7% and shot 91.7% from the charity stripe last season.
Burton averaged 21.3 points per game over 26 contests in his last full season of college basketball, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him meet or exceed that number in 2026-27. If that happens, he could very well push for the Big Ten scoring lead.
Burton will average at least 4.5 assists per game
Along with being a dependable scoring threat, Burton is an effective passer and facilitator. He is averaging 3.8 assists per game in his career, and given the well-rounded nature of Indiana's transfer portal haul, Burton could increase that number to a career-high 4.5 assists per game in 2026-27.
DeVries has added a solid frontcourt combination via the portal in SMU transfer center Samet Yigitoglu and Alabama transfer power forward Aiden Sherrell. Yigitoglu averaged 10.7 points and shot an impressive 62.% from the floor this past season, while Sherrell put up 11.1 points per game while posting a shooting percentage of 53.9%.
Given Yigitoglu's size at 7'2" and Sherrell's 6'11" frame, as well as their scoring efficiency, Burton has a pair of great targets down low when creating offense off pick-and-roll opportunities.
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