Darian DeVries took over the Indiana basketball program looking to usher in a new era of winning. The Hoosiers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament just twice since 2016, which is simply unacceptable in Bloomington. After leading Drake to three NCAA Tournament appearances in a span of four years from 2021-24, IU fans were hoping DeVries' hire would spark an instant turnaround and a trip back to the big dance.
Unfortunately, DeVries' plans for the Hoosiers haven't yielded the results IU fans were hoping for just yet. Wednesday's 74-61 loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament handed the Hoosiers their sixth loss in their last seven games, and puts Indiana on the outside looking in of the March Madness bubble.
Darian DeVries' portal moves didn't pay off as anticipated
As is commonplace in college basketball nowadays, DeVries heavily utilized the transfer portal to build his roster for Year 1 in Bloomington. He focused on bringing in players with plenty of college basketball experience such as Lamar Wilkerson, Tayton Conerway, Sam Alexis, Reed Bailey, Conor Enright, and his son Tucker DeVries. DeVries and his staff hoped that adding veteran players would provide "quick fixes" to the IU roster and give the Hoosiers an experience advantage over their competition.
The problem is that it didn't pan out that way. While there is still the slightest possibility of sneaking into the NCAA Tournament, it's looking more and more that IU will miss out on March Madness for the 8th time in 10 years. The Hoosiers rarely found a consistent scoring rhythm in Big Ten play, and too many unforced errors and missed opportunities led to an underwhelming Year 1 for DeVries.
To make matters even worse, the roster is already gutted heading into next season. By prioritizing experience, DeVries sacrificed development.
Darian DeVries tried to build his Year 1 #iubb squad with quick fixes, old transfers. It didn't work.
— Matt Glenesk (@MattGlenesk) March 12, 2026
Now he's left with nothing and has to start all over next year. Didn't set a culture. No player growth. Nothing. Just a completely wasted season.
Hoosiers left with little returning production for next season
It's already clear that Indiana's roster for next season won't feature much returning production. Wilkerson, DeVries, Conerway, Alexis, Bailey, and Enright are all out of eligibility. Those departures leave Indiana without its top five scorers and six of its top seven scorers from this season heading into 2026-27.
Nick Dorn is slated to be IU's top returning scorer, and he finished the season 6th on the team averaging 8.2 points per game in his junior season. After Dorn, freshman Trent Sisley is IU's second-leading scorer among potential returnees, as he averaged 4.3 points per game while playing 13.5 minutes a night.
2 Arizona State players on transfer watch who could help Indiana's front court tremendously
Wilkerson emerged into a star this season and earned Second-Team All Big Ten honors after averaging just under 21 points per game to lead the Hoosiers. The Sam Houston State transfer even broke the Indiana program record for most points scored in a single season in Big Ten play (464) - a record that was previously held by Don Schlundt in 1952-53.
But aside from Wilkerson, the Hoosiers struggled to find consistent depth scoring. DeVries was 2nd on the team averaging 13.9 points per game, and he was the only player aside from Wilkerson to average double-digits.
Indiana's roster construction for next season will be interesting to watch develop
There's nothing wrong with utilizing the portal to construct a roster, and in today's world of college athletics, the argument can be made that using the portal is essential. However, when you lean too heavily on the portal and it doesn't work out, things can get ugly.
Looking ahead, DeVries and his staff have a lot of work in order to construct Indiana's roster for next season. The incoming recruiting class features a trio of 4-star prospects in Vaughn Karvala, Prince-Alexander Moody, and Trevor Manhertz. But when looking at returning players, Hoosier fans are hoping their development reaches a new level next season to lead to a more successful campaign.
Even if significant strides are made among returners, given the lack of production coming back from this season, DeVries will likely need to find plenty of portal additions once again. Pressing the right buttons in that department will be vital to finding more success and consistency for DeVries' second season in Bloomington in 2026-27.