Being the head coach at Indiana comes with pressure not found at many other places. The Hoosier basketball program has a proud and rich history of success, and after missing the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last 10 years, IU fans are hungry to return to the national spotlight.
Darian DeVries' first season in Bloomington ended in underwhelming fashion, and while he may not necessarily be on the hot seat after just one season, he is in desperate need of a much better season in Year 2.
A critical season awaits for Darian DeVries in Year 2
Entering his first season at Indiana, DeVries constructed his roster primarily through the transfer portal. He brought in mid-major players with plenty of experience, but that strategy backfired.
Indiana ended the regular season with an overall record of 18-14 with a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play, and simply lacked the talent and scoring prowess to keep up in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers were a bubble team throughout the season, but a 1-6 record down the stretch ultimately did them in.
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After such a disappointing campaign, DeVries can't afford to make the same mistake twice. DeVries' roster construction this offseason has also heavily utilized the portal, only this time he's found experienced high-major players with plenty of size and athleticism -- especially in the frontcourt with former SMU center Samet Yigitoglu and Alabama power forward Aiden Sherrell. Hoosier fans are hoping those additions turn things around.
With the NCAA Tournament slated to expand to 76 teams, missing out on March Madness again would be the worst case scenario for DeVries. Qualifying for the 76-team field seems to be the bare minimum at this point, and falling short of that goal would undoubtedly put DeVries in hot water.
Other Big Ten coaching success puts even more pressure on Darian DeVries
The frustration of Indiana basketball fans is made even greater when looking around the Big Ten. Multiple other programs have turned things around and reached new heights in a short amount of time after hiring new head coaches.
Look no further than Iowa's Ben McCollum and Michigan's Dusty May. In his first season in Iowa City, McCollum led the Hawkeyes to an eye-popping NCAA Tournament run that resulted in Iowa's first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. During their run, the Hawkeyes took down 8th-seeded Clemson, reigning national champion and 1st-seeded Florida, and 4th-seeded Nebraska before falling short to 3rd-seeded Illinois in the Elite Eight.
In Ann Arbor, May turned the Wolverines into a National Championship-winning team in just two seasons. He has led Michigan to an overall record of 64-13 with a stellar 33-7 mark in the Big Ten over his two seasons, and now has the Maize and Blue well-positioned to compete for another national title in 2026-27.
Those success have Indiana fans starving for a March Madness run of their own. After putting together a solid offseason, it's now on DeVries to put it all together in a major way.
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