In the days after Indiana men’s basketball hired Darian DeVries to become its head coach, it became clear the Hoosiers’ 2025-26 roster would be composed of almost all transfers.
While DeVries certainly had to work to convince 10 transfers to join him in Bloomington, one of them was a guarantee: Tucker DeVries, his son.
The redshirt senior forward averaged 17 points per game, shot 41.7% from the field and 37.9% from 3-point range through his first 11 games at Indiana. But he’s struggled over the past five, and his performance against No. 12 Michigan State was no different.
Tucker DeVries finished with nine points in the Hoosiers’ 81-60 loss to the Spartans on Tuesday inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. He connected on 30% of his attempts from the field and made just one of his seven shots from beyond the arc.
After Michigan State's first possession of the game, Tucker DeVries opened the scoring for the Hoosiers. He drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the early advantage to the Cream and Crimson.
However, he missed each of his six longballs throughout the rest of the game, including an airball — one the “Izzone,” Michigan State’s student section, didn’t let him forget with their “airball” chant.
“I mean, he's obviously going through a little bit of a shooting slump right now,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “For him, it's a longer one than he's had.”
After Indiana went 1-3 over a four-game stretch in December with losses to Minnesota, the then-No. 6 University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, the Hoosiers returned home to face Chicago State University.
The Dec. 20 contest against the Cougars provided the Cream and Crimson with an opportunity to regain their early-season form against a mid-major squad that was among the worst of 365 Division I teams in the KenPom rankings.
Although Indiana earned a 20-point victory, Tucker DeVries scored just eight points and went 2 for 11 from 3-point range and made his lone 2-point attempt.
The Hoosiers then handled Siena University to close nonconference play before earning back-to-back Big Ten victories over Washington and Maryland. Over the three contests, Tucker DeVries went 6 for 8 from inside the arc. However, he made just four of his 19 attempts from beyond the arc.
While Indiana collapsed in the second half against No. 10 Nebraska on Jan. 10, the redshirt senior forward scored 17 points. He went 3 for 8 from 3-point range and appeared like he may moved past his shooting slump.
The Hoosiers held a full practice Monday — the same day they arrived in East Lansing. Darian DeVries said Tucker DeVries “shot it great” throughout the practice, with an opportunity for the duo’s first signature victory at Indiana looming. Then, at Indiana’s shoot-around Tuesday, the career 43.2% shooter from the field “shot it great” again just hours before the game.
Darian DeVries thought Tucker DeVries’ first bucket of the game could have been the start of a performance that resembled one from earlier this season.
But it wasn’t.
Instead, he followed the make with three missed 3-pointers. The Waukee, Iowa, native drained a pair of free throws late in the first half before making a jumper early in the second half. He missed three more longballs throughout the rest of the game and added a jumper.
Tucker DeVries isn’t the only prolific Hoosier shooter to endure a slump this season. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson went 10 for 40 over a six-game stretch from mid-November to early December.
Since then, Wilkerson has connected on 46.2% of his 3-pointers.
Darian DeVries previously explained that poor shooting performances are inevitable. He reinforced the idea Tuesday night.
Like Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries is now tasked with breaking his slump. The Hoosiers host Iowa on Saturday before making trips to play No. 4 Michigan on Jan. 20 and Rutgers on Jan. 23. Although the Scarlet Knights sit near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, Indiana hasn’t won in Piscataway, New Jersey, since February 2018.
Then, Indiana hosts in-state rival No. 5 Purdue on Jan. 27. For the Hoosiers to earn a pair of resume-boosting victories, they’ll need Tucker DeVries to regain his early-season form and connect from beyond the arc.
“Just, again,” Darian DeVries said, “he's got to find his way back out of it.”
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.
