For the 8th time in the last 10 seasons, the Indiana Hoosiers missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
In his first season in Bloomington, Darian DeVries' team had plenty of opportunities to show that they were deserving of a March Madness bid, but went 1-6 down the stretch to doom their tournament fate.
Hoosier hype is real after latest star performance from 2027 Indiana commit
The Hoosiers have now missed the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons, which has fans of the cream and crimson hungrier than ever to compete in the 68-team field.
As frustration builds, Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson has expressed his support for DeVries and has confidence that he can get things rolling in 2026 and beyond.
Indiana AD voices support for Darian DeVries after disappointing first season in Bloomington
Speaking with Indiana radio play-by-play announcer Don Fischer last week, Dolson stated that having a year of Big Ten experience under his belt will benefit DeVries as he enters Year 2 in the fall.
"The transition in basketball — it was probably the craziest time to ever take over a program with the way the portal was. So I really commend Darian that we were able to put the roster together and at least get us through the season. But I think we’re gonna hit a stride and really get into some rhythm now that we’ve got a year under our belt."Scott Dolson
While DeVries' first season in Bloomington was certainly disappointing, it's worth mentioning that the situation he entered wasn't exactly ideal.
With the coaching change following last season, nearly every player with eligibility remaining entered the transfer portal, which left DeVries with zero returning minutes from Indiana's roster last season.
Dolson and the IU athletic department preached patience as DeVries constructed his roster for 2025-26, which saw plenty of new faces come to Bloomington. That is the case again this offseason, as Indiana is losing nearly 78% of the minutes played and 84.1% of the scoring from this past season. That means there will be plenty of new faces donning the cream and crimson once again next season.
Dolson seems to have plenty of confidence in DeVries moving forward, and he figures to give him and the program all the resources necessary to turn things around.
IU fans are hungrier than ever to return to national prominence, and DeVries won't do himself any favors if he fails to qualify for the NCAA Tournament again next season.