Indiana men’s basketball will begin the 2025-26 regular season against Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University at 8 p.m. Wednesday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are coming off back-to-back 19-win seasons in which they missed the NCAA Tournament. After the 2024-25 season, former head coach Mike Woodson was replaced by Darian DeVries, who rebuilt the roster with 10 transfers and three freshmen.
Throughout the offseason, Indiana played five games — three during a summer trip to Puerto Rico and two preseason exhibition matches in October. The Hoosiers went 5-0.
In its most recent match, Indiana outlasted Baylor University in a 2-point victory Oct. 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 44-25, and the Bears’ late spurt nearly stole a victory before sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway sealed the Hoosiers’ win with eight seconds remaining.
Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson had a game-high 26 points, while redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Conerway totaled 17 points, five assists and three steals in the contest.
Indiana only received one vote in the preseason Associated Press Top-25 Poll released Oct. 13 and enters the season unranked.
Meet the Bulldogs
Much like the Hoosiers, Alabama A&M is entering the season with a new head coach and a vastly different roster than in 2024-25. New head coach Donte Jackson brought seven transfers with him from his previous program in Grambling State University.
In eight seasons at Grambling State, Jackson went 132-124, leading the Bulldogs to three regular season Southwest Athletic Conference regular season championships, one SWAC tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24. Coming off a 12-win 2024-25 season, Jackson left Grambling State for Alabama A&M.
Among the players to follow was Grambling State’s leading scorer Kintavious Dozier. The senior guard averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season. At SWAC Media Day, it was announced that Alabama A&M was projected to finish sixth in the conference.
In their season opener against Blue Mountain Christian University, the Bulldogs won 80-60. Former 4-star Maryland recruit James Graham III and redshirt junior guard Peyton Daniels Sr. led the Bulldogs with 18 points each.
Nick Dorn potentially available
After completing the preseason with four players injured, Darian DeVries indicated Monday on a radio show that he expects junior guard Nick Dorn to be available for the season opener. Speaking on Dorn in a Tuesday afternoon press conference, DeVries had high praise.
“I think the greatest thing with Nick is he can really shoot the ball. He just gives you automatic floor spacing,” DeVries said. “He's just one of those guys that has extreme confidence in his ability to shoot the ball, and he gets it off fast. He's a big guy, he's tall, he gets it off. Like I said, when you've got that type of confidence, that's a big plus for us to have him out there.”
Across two seasons at Elon University, Dorn shot 35.6% from beyond the arc while attempting nearly seven 3-pointers per game. Dorn’s career 3-point percentage is fifth on the team — behind junior guard Jason Drake, redshirt senior guard Conor Enright, Tucker DeVries and Wilkerson.
While the Hoosiers are still without Drake, freshman guard Aleksa Ristic and sophomore forward Josh Harris, Dorn’s return to the court will give DeVries another offensive weapon, as well as some much-needed depth.
In its history, Indiana is 11-0 against opponents currently competing in the SWAC. They’ll look to stay perfect in Wednesday’s season opener against the Bulldogs. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Network.
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.
