Darian DeVries enters his second season at Indiana looking to put forth a better campaign than he did in his first. DeVries led the Hoosiers to an underwhelming season in 2025-26, which resulted in IU missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and for the 8th time in the last 10 years. Needless to say, Indiana basketball fans are hungrier than ever to see the Cream and Crimson put together a March Madness run.
The Big Ten was arguably the best and deepest conference in college basketball this past season, and that is expected to be the case once again in 2026-27. Indiana's offseason portal moves have things looking up in Bloomington, but making headway in the Big Ten will be extremely difficult for DeVries and company.
The start of the new season is still several months away, but team rankings are already beginning to fly online. In the latest Big Ten rankings from prominent college basketball reporter and analyst Andy Katz, Indiana is right where fans should expect them to be at this point in time.
Indiana ranked No. 7 in preseason Big Ten poll from Andy Katz
With summer workouts now underway, Katz has the Hoosiers slated in the No. 7 spot in his Big Ten rankings. Indiana comes in just ahead of UCLA and just behind Nebraska.
Not surprisngly, the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines claim the top spot in Katz's Big Ten rankings. Dusty May's team is followed by Illinois, Michigan State, USC, Purdue, and Nebraska.
The latest @TheAndyKatz @B1GMBBall Power Rankings have dropped as summer workouts get underway 👀🏀
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) June 10, 2026
Do you agree? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8fMQPiY9Gc
This ranking from Katz makes perfect sense.
Last season, Indiana finished 10th in the Big Ten with an overall record of 18-14 to go along with an underwhelming 9-11 mark in Big Ten play. Indiana's roster was way too reliant on Lamar Wilkerson to generate scoring, and the Hoosiers lacked the necessary size and athleticism at the 4 and 5 positions to compete in the Big Ten.
The offseason moves that DeVries has made puts Indiana in a much better position moving forward. IU's portal haul of Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech), Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), Darren Harris (Duke), Samet Yigitoglu (SMU), and Aiden Sherrell (Alabama), along with lone returner Trent Sisley, give Indiana an experienced and well-balanced roster with plenty of potential. Thus, Indiana should be expected to improve on its 10th place finish in the Big Ten from last season.
While improvements are expected, it's tough to see the Hoosiers completely taking over the Big Ten in dominating fashion. Powerhouses such as Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State are well-positioned for national title runs, while team like USC and Nebraska are receiving plenty of hype.
The roster moves DeVries has made this offseason certainly raise IU's floor, but the ceiling is still somewhat limited by the Big Ten's perennial powers. Thus, Indiana should be able to improve from a 10th place finish last year, but finishing in the Top-3 of an elite Big Ten conference seems tough. For now, a 7th place ranking from Katz in his preseason Big Ten rankings seems reasonable.
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