Indiana still has room to maneuver, and Darian DeVries isn’t closing the door on using it.
As the Hoosiers head out of Peru this evening, the players get a break before the fall semester starts in Bloomington. The staff, though, gets one more chance to study what they’ve got after five games and nearly two months of practice. If something still looks thin, there’s still time to act.
IU went to Peru with 12 scholarship players, which leaves one opening on the roster. Under the current setup, men’s basketball teams can carry as many as 13 scholarship players without any negative effect on the amount of revenue the school can share with athletes.
DeVries said Tuesday via Zoom that a late addition remains a real possibility.
“We still have one spot available, so we’ll see how that plays out here in these last few weeks,” DeVries said Tuesday via Zoom. “We were pretty intentional about leaving that open just to see where everything’s at as we get closer to the start of the school year. There’s certainly some flexibility there if we decide to add another piece.”
For plenty of IU fans, the name that jumps out is Sam Alexis.
Alexis played for Indiana in 2025-26, then came back with the Hoosiers in Peru last week and posted 13 points and 4.7 rebounds per game over three outings while shooting 81.8% from the field. With Indiana lacking proven frontcourt depth, he looks like a natural fit and could improve the outlook for the 2026-27 team.
That raises the obvious question: what was Alexis doing on that trip if he isn’t at least thinking about another season in Bloomington?
The catch is that Alexis would probably need a judge to grant an injunction before he could be cleared for a fifth year. That’s the route many players in his situation are now exploring after the NCAA passed a new five-year eligibility rule, but did not give that option to athletes like Alexis who just finished their fourth season in the 2025-26 academic year.
When asked last week whether Alexis was actively pursuing a fifth season at IU, DeVries would not directly address it.
Alexis isn’t the only possible fifth-year answer, either. There’s a growing sense that the pool of players in that category will keep expanding in August as they get a better read on professional opportunities. For many, another year in college could end up being more lucrative than a shot at pro basketball.
Indiana could also go another direction and target an international player. DeVries has already brought in three players straight from an overseas organization over the last two years.
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For a fan base that has lived through plenty of skepticism, hearing the league office frame Indianas rise as deserved carries some weight. Petitti also pointed to the kind of signature moments that made the season impossible to ignore, from the win over Ohio State in the league title game to the kind of plays that turned a good story into a national one, leaving little doubt that the Hoosiers have changed the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
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Bryce Lindsay showed more than just his shooting touch, adding playmaking and slashing to his profile as he averaged 4.5 assists per game. Aiden Sherrell also flashed a broader offensive package, mixing in three-point shooting, downhill drives and midrange pull-ups, while Trent Sisley looked every bit the efficient connector Indiana needs with his work as a cutter, rebounder and rim-runner. The tournament did not answer every question, but it gave Indiana a clearer sense of which pieces can travel well once the competition gets a lot tougher. [Read more 🡒]