Indiana men’s basketball ushers in a new era this season with Darian DeVries entering his first season at the helm of the program. He composed an all-new staff, while adding 10 transfers and three freshmen to make up his first roster in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons, finishing a combined 38-27 under former head coach Mike Woodson. Now, the new-look Cream and Crimson look to return to the Big Dance.
DeVries’ Indiana went 3-0 during an August trip to Puerto Rico, with two of its exhibition wins being comebacks over Serbian professional squad Mega Superbet. The Hoosiers earned victories in October against Marian University and Baylor University in their exhibition slate.
Here are the Indiana Daily Student basketball reporters’ and columnist’s predictions for the 2025-26 season:
Most valuable player
DALTON JAMES: Tucker DeVries played just eight games last season at West Virginia University before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. After following his father, Darian, to Bloomington, Tucker — a redshirt senior forward — will be Indiana’s most valuable player. Several Hoosiers have described the career 36.7% 3-point shooter as a coach on the floor who knows each player’s responsibilities. Come important games down the stretch, Tucker’s knowledge of Darian’s system will prove valuable for the Hoosiers.
NATHAN SHRIBERG: Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson is a crafty scorer with a penchant for the long ball. Coming off a year in which he shot 44.5% from deep on over seven attempts per game, Wilkerson brings the fireworks that Indiana has sorely missed. Beyond the 3-point shooting, he’s also shown an ability to score on the drive and get to the free throw line — he made all 13 free throws against Baylor. Wilkerson’s dynamic scoring ability gives him the potential to put the Hoosiers on his back.
KASEY WATKINS: In his time at Sam Houston State University, Wilkerson was a two-time All-Conference USA first team selection and scored in double figures in 66 career games. Wilkerson’s game showed him to be an impactful player in his career at Sam Houston, and it has already begun to translate in his short time at Indiana. In a close exhibition game with Baylor, Wilkerson showed his playmaking ability, as he led all scorers with 28 points and hit game-tying free throws in the final two minutes. His leadership qualities and playmaking ability will prove him to be the MVP this season.
Biggest X factor
JAMES: Tayton Conerway spent three seasons at the junior college level before two years at Troy University. Now, the sixth-year senior is tasked with being the Hoosiers’ point guard. He recognizes he must be another coach on the court, saying he knows he must understand Darian DeVries’ thought process and scheme. Conerway’s tenacious nature on defense will frustrate opponents come conference play. The Hoosiers’ success largely depends on how far their point guard will take them.
SHRIBERG: Reed Bailey is a 6-foot-10 forward who doesn’t quite play to his size. Without a true center in the rotation — the extent of freshman Andrej Acimovic’s minutes remains to be seen through two exhibitions — Bailey will need to step up as a paint presence for the Hoosiers. Without top-end height on the roster, Darian DeVries will look to get more out of Bailey in the rebounding department than he’s produced in years past. If Bailey is up for the challenge, Indiana will be competitive in the Big Ten.
WATKINS: Bench production will be a key X factor as the season progresses. Injuries to freshman guard Aleksa Ristic, sophomore forward Josh Harris and junior guards Nick Dorn and Jason Drake have limited Indiana’s depth in the preseason. While the return of all of the players is unclear, it is certain that Indiana will need to find production from all facets of the roster. In Indiana's exhibition game against Baylor on Oct. 26, two starters picked up five fouls, and the bench only produced 9 points — all of which came from senior forward Sam Alexis. As the season progresses, it will be important for Indiana to get bench contributions that take some weight off the starters.
One bold prediction
JAMES: For much of the past two seasons, Indiana fans haven’t had much to cheer about. The Hoosiers failed to live up to their lofty preseason expectations, missing the NCAA Tournament both years. The disgruntled nature of the fanbase reared itself in mid-January 25-point loss to Illinois inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Now, the Hoosier faithful have a squad that’ll consistently play its hardest. No matter Indiana’s record, it’ll put a product on the floor that fans can be proud of.
SHRIBERG: Lamar Wilkerson will finish top five in 3-pointers in the Big Ten. Across his career, Wilkerson has averaged over five 3-point attempts per game. In Darian DeVries’ system, there will be no shortage of opportunities from distance. Wilkerson’s 109 makes from deep in the 2024-25 season ranked 13th in the country and would’ve led the Big Ten by a wide margin. With a higher level of both the quality of competition and quantity of scorers around him, expect that total to drop, but with Wilkerson’s talent, it may not be by much.
WATKINS: The Hoosiers are going to need a signature win if they want to make a case for the NCAA Tournament in March. I think that signature win comes from the Hoosiers’ February trip to West Lafayette to face their in-state rival and preseason No.1 ranked Purdue. The game will be played in late February and will serve as the perfect opportunity for the Hoosiers to boost their resume.
Game of the year
JAMES: It’s a renewed rivalry: Indiana vs. Kentucky. The two squads will face off at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, in the first of a four-game series over as many seasons. Lamar Wilkerson chose Indiana over Kentucky out of the transfer portal. Darian DeVries said he’s “really excited” to resume the series, and so is his squad. At an open summer practice in July, Wilkerson said the Hoosiers are looking forward to the matchup — the first in the regular season since December 2011.
SHRIBERG: As it approaches the midpoint of its Big Ten schedule, Indiana will take a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the preseason No. 7 Michigan Wolverines on Jan. 20. Michigan brought in the top-ranked transfer portal player in graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg. Also on the Wolverines’ roster is 7-foot-3 junior center Aday Mara. A matchup against a Big Ten championship contender in the middle of the conference slate is a prime opportunity for the Hoosiers to show what they’re made of. Additionally, taking down a team of Michigan’s size would put the nation on notice that Indiana isn’t outmatched by anyone.
WATKINS: Mark your calendars for a Dec. 6 matchup against preseason ranked No. 11 University of Louisville inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be a test for the Hoosiers, as it will likely be the first ranked opponent they’ll face. Last season, the Hoosiers fell to the Cardinals 89-61 early in the season, which set the tone for the remainder of the year. Now, this season, the Hoosiers will have the chance at a statement performance that can rewrite the narrative of last season.
Postseason predictions
JAMES: Indiana hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. During Archie Miller and Mike Woodson’s tenures, the Hoosiers made March Madness just twice out of seven total tournaments. With Indiana’s brand-new roster this season, I see DeVries’ squad finishing in the top half of the Big Ten. Although most Hoosiers are playing in a power conference for the first time, I think they’ll find a way to sneak into the Big Dance no higher than an eight seed.
SHRIBERG: With an all-new roster, the biggest question mark this season is how long it will take for the Cream and Crimson to jell. Injuries to rotational players means the Hoosiers won’t have their complete roster together until after the season starts. However, once Indiana settles into Big Ten play, I believe its offensive firepower will take over multiple games and keep them in contention with the conference’s best. While the Hoosiers won’t be regular season conference title contenders, they’ll make enough of a splash to sneak into the NCAA tournament as a 10 seed.
WATKINS: Indiana brought in a whole new squad comprising 10 transfers and three freshmen under first-year head coach Darian DeVries. However, just two of the 10 transfers came from a power four program. I think DeVries has a lot of talented players, but some of them have yet to face a schedule like the Big Ten conference holds. I think this team has a lot of good pieces but will ultimately serve as more of a building block season. With that in mind, I think Indiana will put up a fight all season, winning some good ones, but falling short at times, too. At the end of the year, Indiana will find itself on the bubble and end up with an 11 seed play-in game for the NCAA Tournament.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a player’s name.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
