2025-26 has been an up-and-down season for Indiana basketball, as Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers haven't been able to find much consistency in his first season in Bloomington. That has resulted in Indiana landing squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with plenty to play for in the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana's stay in Indianapolis was short-lived unfortunately, as the Hoosiers suffered a stunning upset loss to Northwestern in the first round on Wednesday afternoon. Many Bracketologists had Indiana as either the final team in the projected NCAA Tournament field or just outside the cut line coming into the day, but this loss surely knocks the Hoosiers outside of the field.
With his March Madness hopes dwindling, DeVries talked about the kind of players he wants to bring in this offseason to help Indiana turn things around next season, via Mike Schumann of The Daily Hoosier.
“Depth, size and physicality to give us a better chance on the interior,” DeVries said.
Indiana lacked in especially the last two areas this season, as a lot of the bigger teams in the Big Ten were able to beat up on the Hoosiers on the interior. Indiana had no answer for Northwestern star Nick Martinelli in a pair of late-season losses to the Wildcats, something that may very well cost it a tournament bid.
Regardless, there is no question that DeVries is going to have plenty of resources to go get his guys in the transfer portal this offseason. Building a roster capable of competing for a Big Ten championship will be difficult after losing his son, Tucker DeVries, and Lamar Wilkerson, but the tradition of Indiana basketball will certainly attract some recruits.
There is still an outside chance that Indiana can make it into the dance as a First Four team, considering the bubble's poor start to the week and some difficult paths to bid stealers down the road on Saturday and Sunday. However, if not, DeVries and his staff will be right to work trying to turn the ship around in year two.
