Indiana men’s basketball last took the court 12 days ago. By the time it tips off against Washington on Sunday, it will have been 26 days between Big Ten contests. Since the Hoosiers’ last conference matchup, they’ve lost to the University of Kentucky on the road and picked up wins over two mid-major opponents — Chicago State University and Siena University.
Since exploding for 44 points on 10 3-pointers against Penn State on Dec. 9, fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson has remained efficient. Across the Cream and Crimson’s last three contests, Wilkerson is averaging nearly 20 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc.
Despite his hot shooting, staying on the floor has emerged as an issue for the Hoosiers' leading scorer. Wilkerson has tallied four fouls in two of Indiana’s past three games. Foul trouble forced him to play only 22 minutes in the loss to Kentucky.
Meanwhile, redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries’ shooting woes have persisted. Three straight sub-40% outings from the field have dropped his season field goal percentage to 40.2% — the lowest mark of his career.
Outside of DeVries and Wilkerson, offensive production has been sporadic. The pair average 16.2 and 19 points per game, respectively, and are over four points clear of the next highest scoring Hoosier — sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway who averages 11.9 points per contest.
Since returning from injury, junior guard Nick Dorn has been a steady source of scoring from the outside. Dorn has connected on 21 of his last 37 shots from beyond the arc, and his 1.9 3-pointers per game ties for 20th in the Big Ten. Wilkerson and DeVries lead the conference with 3.5 and 3.2 3-point makes per game, respectively. As a team, the Hoosiers lead the conference with 10.6 3-pointers per game.
Last season, the Hoosiers only knocked down 6.3 longballs per contest. This year, it’s the Huskies averaging only 7 3-pointers per game as both teams have new-look rosters. The Cream and Crimson are set to take on Washington in their first matchup of the 2026 calendar year.
New-look Huskies
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Washington hired Danny Sprinkle to take over the program. Sprinkle previously took Montana State University to two NCAA Tournaments and went 28-7 en route to a third consecutive tournament appearance in his lone season at Utah State University.
But in his first season in the Big Ten, Sprinkle’s Huskies went 13-18 overall and 4-16 in conference play. After the season ended, seven Huskies transferred and five others graduated. Only sophomore guard Zoom Diallo and graduate center Franck Kepnang returned. However, Washington reloaded with the 13th ranked transfer portal class and the 15th ranked recruiting class.
The transfer class was headlined by former USC guards Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III, while four-star German forward Hannes Steinbach led the recruiting class. The Huskies also added former Indiana forward Bryson Tucker.
Injuries
The 2025 Huskies will enter the matchup against the Hoosiers with a 9-4 overall record. After dropping its first Big Ten contest to UCLA on Dec. 3, Washington downed then-No. 24 USC on the road to earn its first conference and ranked win of the season. Steinbach posted 24 points and 16 rebounds in the upset victory.
Steinbach leads the Huskies with 18.1 points per game while Yates III, Claude and Diallo each notch over 14 points per contest. Senior guard Quimari Peterson leads the Huskies with 26 makes from beyond the arc.
While Washington boasts impressive scoring depth, injuries have plagued the Huskies. Yates III suffered a wrist injury against Seattle University on Dec. 19 and is sidelined indefinitely. Claude, Steinbach and Tucker have each missed multiple games earlier in the season, and sophomore center Lathan Sommerville has missed the past two games.
Indiana defeated Washington last season on the road in their lone meeting, and Sunday’s matchup marks the first meeting between the two in Bloomington since Washington joined the Big Ten in 2024.
The Hoosiers will return to the hardwood against the Huskies at 8 p.m. Sunday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Coverage will be available on the 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.
