One of the most exciting aspects of Indiana hiring Darian DeVries to replace Mike Woodson this past offseason was that he and his son Tucker have been a package deal. Tucker followed him from Drake to West Virginia, and then, after spending most of their one-year layover in Morgantown, injured, to Bloomington. However, whether anyone realized it at the moment or not, DeVries managed to make an even bigger splash in the transfer portal with Lamar Wilkerson.
Last season at Sam Houston State, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 20.5 points on 47/44/82 shooting splits. While he was a highly coveted knockdown shooter on the open market, it was hard to imagine that he’d match that output in the Big Ten, but somehow, he has.
On Wednesday night, Wilkerson dropped 24 points on Maryland to secure Indiana’s third-straight conference victory and fourth consecutive win since a 72-60 loss to Kentucky in December. After his outing in College Park, Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points, in three fewer minutes than he played a season ago in Conference USA, with 46/42/85 splits. He’s essentially the same player against better competition, and he’s clearly outpacing DeVries as the team’s best player.
Indiana’s Lamar Wilkerson (@kiddlamar_) is a PROBLEM. One of the best shotmakers in the Big 10, if not all of college basketball. Tonight in the Hoosiers win vs. Maryland:
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) January 8, 2026
24 PTS
6 REBS
1 AST
1 STL
9-17 FG
3-7 3PT
3-3 FT
Wilkerson has now scored 20+ points in each of Indiana’s… pic.twitter.com/G79uxzaoBO
Lamar Wilkerson stays red hot in Indiana’s 84-66 win over Maryland
Wilkerson had his breakout in Indiana’s 113-72 blowout win over Penn State on December 9, his ninth game as a Hoosier. It was his third time eclipsing 20 points on the year and the second time doing so against Power Conference competition.
Since that game, which featured 10 threes from the sharp-shooter, Wilkerson is averaging 24.8 points, and has scored over 20 points in five of six outings. Over that six-game stretch, he’s shooting a remarkable 46.4 percent from beyond the arc and 51.6 percent from the field.
Wilkerson is already the fourth leading scorer in the conference, but that six-game pace would have him overtake Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli as the league’s leading scorer, and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer as the leading scorer in the nation.
Indiana has fallen from the AP Top 25, and at the moment, Joe Lunardi has the Hoosier slotted as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament field. Ranking 30th in the Net, the Hoosiers could argue to be much higher right now, but that’ll be irrelevant if Wilkerson continues to dominate and the Hoosiers continue to win.
The Hoosiers haven’t made the tournament since 2023. That drought should end this year, but a longer one could be singing its swansong this season as well. D.J. White is the last Big Ten Player of the Year to hail from Indiana, winning the award in the 2007-08 season. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg has overtaken Purdue’s Braden Smith as the favorite for the award, but with upcoming matchups against both the Wolverines and Boilermakers, Wilkerson could state his case as the conference’s top dog.