It's safe to say that the Indiana basketball program is not in a place where Hoosier fans want it to be. The Cream and Crimson have missed the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons and in eight of the last 10 years. The upcoming season will mark 40 years since Indiana last won a national title. For a program with such a rich and storied history of success, that isn't going to cut it.
Heading into Year 2 of the Darian DeVries era, Hoosier fans are looking for a lot more. DeVries had IU poised for an NCAA Tournament birth in mid-February, but a 1-6 stretch to finish the season proved to be too much to overcome. Facing a massive roster overhaul this offseason, DeVries and company face plenty of question marks heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
There is reason for optimism, as Indiana's transfer portal class is among the highest-ranked in the country, and IU's incoming recruiting class features plenty of potential. But if DeVries and company are going to turn things around, there is one area of IU's game that must be a whole lot better than it was last season.
Indiana's scoring depth needs to vastly improve this season
When look at last year's team, it's clear that Indiana was far too reliant on Lamar Wilkerson to generate offense.
Wilkerson put forth a great campaign, as he ranked 2nd in the Big Ten by scoring 20.9 points per game. The Sam Houston State transfer posted IU's highest-scoring average for a guard since Eric Gordon in 2007-08, and his 669 points on the season were the 11th-most scored in a single-season in program history. Furthermore, Wilkerson upped his scoring average to 23.2 points per game against Big Ten competition and his 464 points in Big Ten play set a program record.
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However, far too much was asked of Wilkerson. The scoring depth behind him was seriously lacking, as Indiana's only other player to average double digit points per game was Tucker DeVries with 13.7. Players like Tayton Conerway, Sam Alexis, Reed Bailey, Nick Dorn, and Conor Enright were far too inconsistent and unreliable, which left Wilkerson out on an island.
Plus, the Hoosiers lacked the proper spacing, pace, and chemistry needed to light up the scoreboard. Indiana played at an extremely slow pace and often times looked like five players doing their own thing on the floor as opposed to being one cohesive unit. That needs to change next season.
Indiana's new-look roster gives Hoosier fans hope for greater scoring depth
The good news is that help is on the way. Six of Indiana's seven transfer portal additions have multiple seasons of high-major experience. Guys like PG Markus Burton (Notre Dame), SG Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech), G Darren Harris (Duke), SG Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), PF Aiden Sherrell (Alabama), and C Samet Yigitoglu (SMU) are all likely to be major contributors in 2026-27.
Burton figures to lead the way, as he comes to Bloomington after three years of being on the ACC's most prolific scorers at Notre Dame. Burton earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2023-24 after leading all ACC rookies with 17.5 points per game. He increased that number to an impressive 21.3 points per game as a sophomore, which led the entire ACC. He then averaged 18.5 points over 10 games this past season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Now fully healthy, Burton figures to replace plenty of the production that Wilkerson brought to the table.
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But after Burton, players like Harris, Mustaf, and Lindsay will need to provide ample scoring depth to Indiana's backcourt. Incoming freshmen Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala can also assist in that effort.
The additions of Sherrell and Yigitoglu give Indiana the possibility to have one of the better frontcourt combinations in the Big Ten. Owning a 7'2" frame, Yigitoglu averaged 10.7 points per game and shot an impressive 62.8% from the field this past season with SMU. Sherrell boasts a 6'11" 255-pound frame, and he averaged 11.1 points per game and posted a shooting percentage of 53.9% with Alabama this past season. Together, they can provide solid frontcourt scoring for IU, which is something the Hoosiers desperately missed in Year 1 of the DeVries era.
All in all, DeVries' portal adds have improved Indiana's scoring depth enough on paper to bring the Hoosiers back to contention. Now it all just needs to come together in an effective way.
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