Alexis’ Return is Big for 2026-2027 Hoosiers

On the final day before the calendar turned to August, Sam Alexis won a temporary injunction in his legal battle for a fifth year of college eligibility. The 6’9” center was one of 19 players listed in the ruling from the Tennessee Twentieth Judicial District in Nashville. Alexis had just returned from playing with the Indiana Hoosiers in Peru at the FISU America Cup Games in Lima and Darian DeVries had purposefully left a scholarship open and a few short hours after being granted eligibility, for now at least, Sam Alexis announced his intention to return to Indiana as a member of the 2026-2027 Hoosiers.

The NCAA has made it clear they are appealing the decision and are expecting an expedited process plus the Protect College Sports Act could be enacted into law prior to the collegiate basketball season. Those hurdles still exist and make it very possible that Alexis is ultimately barred from playing a second season in Bloomington. For now, Alexis is eligible and his addition could have a significant impact on both the ceiling and the floor for Darian DeVries’ squad. Alexis started 23 games last season and is averaging 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Interior Depth Gets Major Boost

The Hoosiers were nowhere near big enough last season and Darian DeVries addressed those deficiencies by adding 6’10” Aiden Sherrell from Alabama and 7’2” Samet Yigitoglu from Southern Methodist University. Those two form a vastly upgraded starting frontline but one of the biggest question marks about the upcoming season was how Indiana would handle situations like injuries or interior foul trouble. The third big was projected to be sophomore Trent Sisley or true freshman Clemens Sokolov, a developmental player that is not scheduled to even arrive on campus until later this month.

That meant the Hoosiers would need to steal a lot of minutes with Aiden Sherrell sliding to center and giving power forward reps to Sisley or someone like Jaeden  Mustaf as a physical but undersized option. The addition of Alexis changes the minutes math for the frontcourt. Aiden Sherrell wants to be a “4” in Darian DeVries’ system and if Yigitoglu and Alexis both stay healthy, he’ll get his wish in nearly every scenario.

The Hoosiers can now start Sherrell and Yigitoglu and then bring Sam Alexis off the bench as the third big. In matchups against quicker or more athletic frontcourts, Alexis could take the larger share of minutes and against bigger and more physical centers DeVries can turn to the 7’2” Yigitoglu. If foul trouble becomes a factor in a game, Indiana will not be forced to slide play a small lineup and they won’t be reliant on a major jump in development from Sisley or Clemens Sokolov.

The only returning scholarship player with experience in Darian DeVries’ system was Trent Sisley so Sam Alexis doubles that number from one to two and he is just about the perfect addition to address the interior depth concerns that were atop most fans’ lists.

Complementary Skill Sets

This was mentioned a bit earlier in this article but it is worth highlighting the potentially complementary differences between Samet Yigitoglu and Sam Alexis. The physical differences are apparent, particularly when you see the two next to each other. While the streaming quality was far from ideal on IU’s trip to Peru, fans were able to get a couple of glimpses of the two players standing next to each other. Both players are listed as centers but the size difference was striking.

Sam Alexis is listed at 6’9” while Samet Yigitoglu appears to be every bit of his listed 7’2”. Those that watched Alexis battle last season know that he will give maximum effort but he’s an undersized center in the Big Ten. That won’t be an issue for Samet Yigitoglu and there will be several games where his size, rim protection and rebounding are necessary. Pairing him with the 6’10” Aiden Sherrell gives IU a legitimately imposing frontcourt that won’t look small next to anyone in college basketball next season.

One of the weaknesses of Yigitoglu’s game during his time at SMU was a difficulty in facing quick and athletic big men that could make him operate in space. The “Turkish Tower” is not a statue but he won’t have the quickness advantage against athletic centers. Sam Alexis will be the ideal platoon mate in those situations. Alexis moves well against wiry or athletic bigs and DeVries now has an option to turn to if the Hoosiers are being hurt by teams putting Yigitoglu in ball screen actions away from the rim.

Another spot the addition could be extremely impactful is at the end of games. Yigitoglu is only shooting free throws at a 52% clip for his career. Sam Alexis is right around 70% and IU can now close with a lineup of Markus Burton, Bryce Lindsay, Darren Harris, Aiden Sherrell and Sam Alexis and not have any suspect foul shooters on the floor.

This decision, as well as other recent injunctions, opens the door for other teams with open scholarships to fill holes as well. Sam Alexis to Indiana is not the only noteworthy addition and other teams will improve. Still, it’s hard to envision a better outcome for IU Basketball in this scenario than getting Sam Alexis back for the 2026-2027 season. The floor is definitely raised and there’s little doubt that the ceiling of expectations should be raised as well.