There are many parallels between what Curt Cignetti has done for Indiana football and what Dusty May has done for Michigan basketball. Both coaches took over programs during hard times, and both completely turned things around and found immediate success that culminated in National Championships in the second season at their respective jobs.
Unfortunately, those parallels don't relate to Darian DeVries' tenure at the helm of the Indiana basketball program - at least not yet. Fans are still hopeful that DeVries can get things rolling, but an underwhelming first season in Bloomington has DeVries behind the 8-ball.
This past season, the Hoosiers finished 18-13 with a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play and missed the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. DeVries now faces an uphill battle re-vamping IU's roster for next season.
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Hoosier basketball fans are starving for a March Madness run, but professional oddsmakers see a long road ahead for DeVries and company next season.
Indiana's 2027 National championship odds signal Darian DeVries has a long way to go
The 2026 college basketball season just came to a close, and oddsmakers already have early 2027 national title odds available on multiple sports betting platforms.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the top of the 2027 National Championship odds board is led by Duke with odds of +800. The defending champion Michigan Wolverines are second on the list with odds of +1200. Florida (+1400), Arizona (+1500), and Michigan State (+1600) are not far behind.
You'll have to scroll down a bit to find the Indiana Hoosiers. With odds of +12000, Indiana is tied for the 36th spot on the 2027 National Championship odds board on DraftKings. Among Big Ten teams, the Hoosiers are tied with Nebraska and Maryland for the 9th-best odds to win it all. Those long odds indicate that oddsmakers don't expect IU to compete for a national title in 2026-27.
DeVries and Indiana eye NCAA Tournament appearance in 2026-27
DeVries had the Hoosiers looking like a lock for the NCAA Tournament in mid-February, but a 1-6 record down the stretch ultimately doomed Indiana's March Madness hopes. In a year where bubble teams continued to struggle, Indiana was never able to capitalize on its several opportunities to qualify for the 68-team tournament field.
Indiana has now missed the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last 10 seasons. For such a storied college basketball program, that isn't going to cut it. DeVries got his feet wet in the Big Ten this season, and now needs to put together a much better campaign in 2026-27.
In today's world of college athletics, it no longer takes 3-4 years for a new coach to build up a program and compete for national title. Coaches like Cignetti and May have shown that, and DeVries isn't going to do himself any favors by missing out on the NCAA Tournament again in Year 2.
Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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