Indiana Basketball: 25-26 Season Wrap and Reaction

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian Devries yells instructions to his team against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Coach: Darian DeVries 2025-26 Record: 18-14 Big Ten Record: 9-11 Finish: 10th in the Big Ten Record Against Top 25: 1-7 (Opponents ranked in the top 25 at the time of game) Postseason: (Lost in Second Round of Big Ten Tournament to Northwestern) Indiana Season Recap The first year of the Darian DeVries Era started with curiosity, maybe some guarded optimism and a general lack of enthusiasm. The fan base had been burned enough to not go into the year with blind optimism (it also was due to football’s run to a title) and take a wait-and-see approach to the year. The season started well and the feeling surrounding the program after dismantling Marquette in early November was that this team would be fun to watch. They may have their limitations, but at least it would be a modern brand of basketball. The Hoosiers started 7-0 and a home win over a bad Kansas State team gave the Hoosiers at least a split of their big non-conference games. From there the cracks started to form. IU opened Big Ten play ranked 22nd in the nation, but promptly fell at Minnesota. It was a game that really defined how the season went and if you want to boil it down to one play, a Tucker DeVries steal that looked like a breakaway slam dunk that would have put the Hoosiers up by double digits turned into a chase down block and a Minnesota win. That loss took the wind out of the sails for the Hoosiers. I labeled some of the more important IU games as “check-in” games for the fan base. What that meant was it was a game the average fan would watch and see if the rest of the season was worth watching or watching up until the next check point. The first of those was the game against Louisville. IU was outclassed. A record-setting performance from Lamar Wilkerson against Penn State preceded the next check-in game against Kentucky. The renewal of the rivalry that had been on hiatus for nearly a decade was back and while neither team was particularly great, a win over the Wildcats would grab people’s attention. Instead it was an afterthought to Fernando Mendoza winning the Heisman. After cleaning up the buy games, the Hoosiers won back-to-back Big Ten games against Maryland and Washington which set up a home game against then-No.10 Nebraska in Assembly Hall, a place where ranked foes used to fear. Instead Nebraska stormed back from a large deficit and a pattern was forming. IU couldn’t finish in the second half. Indiana would end up losing four in a row before seemingly righting the ship starting with a win at Rutgers, upsets over Purdue and UCLA and home wins over Oregon and Wisconsin. IU was at 17-8 (8-6) before the bottom fell out. IU was blown out in road trips to Illinois and Purdue (not unexpected) leading into a season defining home stand. IU had games against Northwestern, Michigan State and Minnesota in Assembly Hall needing to win at least two to solidify their spot in March Madness. However, the Hoosiers blew a 13-point lead against Northwestern and lost 72-68. Michigan State controlled the whole game with a double-digit win. IU did beat Minnesota by 30, but by then things were too far gone. Indiana went into a must-win game at Ohio State and got blown away. Somehow IU’s bubble hopes still existed heading into the Big Ten Tournament and a rematch with Northwestern. A win could have punched their ticket. Instead a seventh straight loss to the Wildcats came with a second half meltdown and the season is over at 18-14. What it Means for the Program The first year of the Darian DeVries Era was wasted and pretty much a failure. Others may think or say otherwise, but looking through an objective lens, it was a total waste. Outside of Lamar Wilkerson and Sam Alexis nobody on this team showed any development. Some even showed regression. While we all knew the roster was flawed and the reasons behind that, there were players who just did not live up to the expectations of their ranking or scouting report coming in. Reed Bailey was unplayable for most of the season. He played because he had to, but he was nowhere near the player IU thought they were getting. A stretch-four who can handle the ball and shoot relatively well from outside. Was that a misfire in evaluation or putting Bailey in a position where it was very hard to succeed? Tucker DeVries was nowhere near the player he was at Drake, although he showed flashes of that early in the season. He may have been dinged up, but he looked out of shape most of the season and was not the cornerstone player IU thought they were getting. Tayton Conerway was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season and disappeared after an ankle injury and dealing with an illness. The whole Conerway situation is a mystery and probably a cause for a lot of issues. He would play then sit out, then play again. By the last quarter of the season he looked disinterested. Conor Enright played hard every night, but he should not be playing 40 minutes a game. The roster usage was confusing and concerning. There seemed to be a growing rift in the locker room and some guys seemed checked out. I haven’t even gotten to Trent Sisley yet. Sisley was the lone holdover (if you want to call it that) from the Woodson Era. He was a highly rated recruit from Indiana although he came from IMG. While he needs to bulk up Sisley seemed to have enough of the tools to be able to contribute in some way to this team. He wasn’t going to be a super star, but he should not just disappear after January. I understand not playing him in big moments if he was not ready, but IU had plenty of opportunities to get him on the floor and just didn’t. There are rumors and conversations that Sisley will or should transfer, I wouldn’t blame him, and that IU would lose a foundational piece. However, we have no idea if Sisley is a foundational piece because he was glued to the bench. There was no in-game opportunity to develop and grow. Can he be a good Big Ten player? Sure, he could. But to not see the floor in any meaningful way since mid-January is concerning. Moving on from roster management. That problem should be addressed with the hiring of Ryan Carr as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations. The season was a waste as well because there was no foundation set and no clear standard met. IU will enter the portal season needed to hit on some great targets to fill out a roster that will once again mostly be brand new. We’ll see who stays from this group, but it’s not more than a few players. Best Win Then-No.7 Purdue 72-67 What’s Next The pressure on DeVries entering year two goes way up because of the way the season went. He squandered a great opportunity to fly under the radar for most of the season behind Indiana football’s national championship. The program did not meet the bare minimum standard of playing hard every night for 40 minutes, something DeVries told fans when he was hire would be a staple. It’s one thing to lose because the roster isn’t good enough, which it wasn’t. It’s another to fail to set a standard and a foundation going forward. This is a huge offseason for DeVries who admitted to his failures and faults and underestimating how much of a meat grinder the Big Ten is. IU brought in Carr to help with roster construction, player evaluation and valuation. IU is back to square one, when they should have at least been at square two. Carr and DeVries need to do a deep program evaluation from the roster to the coaching staff to the strength and conditioning program and get it fixed. If those conversations have not started yet, they will start soon enough. The runway for DeVries is gone. Much like the last month of basketball the opportunity to win some equity with the fans has evaporated. The 2026-27 season should be a tournament of bust season for DeVries. That’s the corner he has backed himself into in just one season. With the resources IU has there isn’t time to be patient anymore. IU was too patient with Archie Miller and Mike Woodson and paid the price. There will be a point in time when it’s clear what direction the DeVries Era will go. He will get one more year, he should. But another missed tournament and a failure to set a foundation will shorten the leash even more.

Indiana Basketball: 25-26 Season Wrap and Reaction

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