Darian DeVries' first season at the helm of the Indiana basketball program didn't quite go as planned. The Hoosiers looked primed for a March Madness birth in the middle of February, but a 1-6 stretch to close the season doomed their NCAA Tournament hopes. Indiana has now missed out on March Madness in eight of the last 10 years. Needless to say, Hoosier basketball fans are hungrier than ever for a March Madness run.
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Looking ahead to 2026, things could be looking up. DeVries re-tooled Indiana's roster with a handful of solid transfer portal additions, and IU's incoming freshman class is already showing plenty of promise. The talent appears to be there, and now it's up to DeVries to put it all together. If he is going to lead Indiana back to the NCAA Tournament in Year 2, these are three areas he needs to focus on getting right this season.
Team chemistry needs to click from the beginning
In today's era of the transfer portal and NIL, roster turnover is nothing new in college basketball. However, some programs have mastered navigating extreme roster turnover better than others.
For the second year in a row, DeVries has a roster primarily made up of transfers. Trent Sisley is the lone returning player from last year's team, meaning there are plenty of new faces for the Cream and Crimson this season. Last year, DeVries didn't have a single returning player on the roster. That led to a difficulty finding a rhythm and finding a groove.
Heading into the 2026 season, the Hoosiers need to become acclimated with one aother from the jump. There are some manageable non-conference matchups, but meetings with teams like Kentucky, Syracuse, Arkansas, and Missouri early in the season means that DeVries needs to get his team gelled together quickly.
Installing the offensive system that fueled DeVries' previous success
In the past, DeVries-led teams have put up points in a hurry. At Drake, and briefly at West Virginia, DeVries' teams played at a rapid pace offensively. They moved the ball well, thrived in transition, and emphasized early shot-hunting and efficient three-point shooting. Unfortunately, Indiana fans didn't see much of that playing style this past season.
In DeVries' first season, the Hoosiers struggled to find a groove offensively. Indiana often looked stagnant, didn't play with a fast pace, and was easy to guard. DeVries' squad took plenty of three-pointers, ranking 4th in the Big Ten with 28.3 three-point attempts per game. However, they ranked 9th in the conference with a three-point shooting percentage of 34.7%. Improving that efficiency from outside will be key in 2026.
Furthermore, the Hoosiers were simply too reliant on Lamar Wilkerson to generate offense. On the season, Wilkerson's 20.9 points led the Hoosiers and ranked 2nd in the Big Ten. It was a great season for the transfer from Sam Houston State. However, only one other Hoosier averaged double-digit points per game (Tucker DeVries, 13.7 ppg). That lack of scoring depth plagued IU all season long. If the Hoosiers want to get back to the NCAA Tournament, having a more well-rounded scoring attack is much-needed.
Prioritize rebounding on both ends of the floor
Indiana was one of the worst rebounding teams in the Big Ten last season. In total, the Hoosiers ranked 13th out of 18 Big Ten teams with 32.4 total rebounds per game. They were especially poor on the offensive glass, ranking dead last in the conference by bringing down a measly 8.2 offensive rebounds per game. Those numbers aren't going to cut it in 2026.
The good news is that Indiana's frontcourt has much more size and versatility heading into the new campaign. Transfer additions Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) and Samet Yigitoglu (SMU) have extreme potential to make a huge impact on Indiana's rebounding this season. Sherrell owns a 6'11" frame and was one of the SEC's best rebounders last season. Yigitoglu is a 7'2" center, and he can be the true center that Indiana desperatley missed last season.
Returner Trent Sisley also figures to help out on the glass, as do newcomers Trevor Manhertz and Vaughn Karvala. All in all, it's clear that prioritizing rebouding on both ends of the floor needs to be a major point of emphasis for Indiana in 2026.
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