CHICAGO — Indiana men’s basketball became all too familiar with failing its early-season tests in recent memory.
Two seasons ago, the University of Connecticut and Auburn University blew out the Hoosiers. Last season, the University of Louisville and Gonzaga University did the same. And all four contests were at neutral sites.
On Sunday, in just the second game of the season and the first against a power conference opponent in the Darian DeVries era, the new-look Hoosiers didn’t revert to the program’s past ways. Instead, Indiana thrashed Marquette University, 100-77, inside the United Center in Chicago.
“Overall, great team effort from our guys,” Darian DeVries said postgame, “and I'm really proud of a lot of different contributions that we got tonight.”
Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson began facilitating from the onset. He found redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries open, as the latter drained a 3-pointer to open the scoring.
Just over four minutes later, Wilkerson again delivered an assist to Tucker DeVries for a layup. The latter began to catch fire. Whether it was from inside the paint, beyond the arc or at the free-throw line, the 6-foot-7 Tucker DeVries made his presence felt early on.
Less than nine minutes into the contest, Tucker DeVries had already notched 14 points. Nearly three minutes later, Wilkerson continued to assist on Tucker DeVries’ makes. The latter even returned the favor, as Wilkerson drained his first longball of the contest.
Once more in the first half, Wilkerson dished a pass to Tucker DeVries that led to a 3-pointer. Although the West Virginia University transfer ended the opening half with 24 points and five 3-pointers, Wilkerson — who’s known for his knockdown shooting — emerged as the Hoosiers’ primary facilitator.
He scored 8 points while notching four assists in the first half. In total, 12 of Indiana’s 17 field goals across the first 20 minutes were assisted.
Wilkerson’s selflessness in the first half was returned in the second.
The Ashdown, Arkansas, native went 5 for 7 from beyond the arc — all five assisted — as the Hoosiers largely cruised to a 23-point victory.
“He (Wilkerson) did a really good job today,” Darian DeVries said. “He was one of the guys that, as we got into the flow of the game, we were using him a little bit more of that facilitator. In the second half, he got rewarded back with guys finding him.”
Although Wilkerson finished the day with 23 points and six made longballs, his eight assists set a career high. He’s arguably the Hoosiers’ best shooter. On Sunday, he proved he can distribute much like quarterback Fernando Mendoza did in Indiana football’s victory over Penn State on Saturday.
And he wasn’t the only Hoosier finding teammates open and in position to score. In total, Indiana notched 27 assists — the most since March 2024 — on 33 made field goals.
“I thought the offense, both halves, did a great job,” Tucker DeVries said. “We played very well together, I thought, with 27 assists. I thought that was really good, especially for their pressure.”
Darian DeVries spent much of the offseason explaining his team’s selflessness. It was displayed across three games in Puerto Rico in August, when the Hoosiers averaged nearly 24 assists per contest.
Again, the first-year head coach praised his team’s coachability and the unselfish nature of their game after an open-to-media practice Sept. 30. The Hoosiers’ “connectivity,” DeVries said, was shining on both ends of the floor.
Indiana’s performance Sunday proved it — against a power conference opponent which has made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
“They're just a really unselfish group, and that's what leads to some of the scoring opportunities we get, is the guys really understand the game,” Darian DeVries said. “They're very willing passers and understand moments like when Tucker has it going, they understand and keep finding them. Lamar has it going, we have guys that understand and keep finding them.”
The Hoosiers have yet to be together for half a year. All 10 transfers had just committed by the end of April, and freshman forward Trent Sisley arrived at the beginning of the summer. The two freshmen international players — guard Aleksa Ristic and center Andrej Acimovic — got to Bloomington in the latter stages of the summer.
By no means has the new-look Indiana been together for long. Still, even with little experience with in-game situations against opponents, the Hoosiers understand they can’t be self-centered.
After all, Darian DeVries said his players have a will to win over all else.
“I think they're just good basketball players,” Darian DeVries said. “They understand it. I think they prioritize winning. None of them really care who gets the credit. They talk about it every day.”
Indiana showed its potential Sunday, as it now sits 2-0. But the season is still young. Three Power Four opponents — Kansas State University, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky — still lie ahead on the Hoosiers’ nonconference schedule.
But in the Cream and Crimson’s first test under Darian DeVries, they passed. And they did so without junior guard Nick Dorn, who’s expected to be a key contributor.
Darian DeVries feels his group has “really bought into” winning. It showed Sunday.
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.
