Indiana fans are buying into the idea that this year’s Hoosiers will look a lot different - and a lot tougher - than the group that came before them.
That’s the backdrop for a new set of fan polls ahead of the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, one that feels like a turning point in year two under head coach Darian DeVries. Indiana reworked its roster over the offseason, shifting away from a team built around 3-point shooting and toward one that’s supposed to win with rebounding. With two 7-footers in the frontcourt and more speed and scoring in the backcourt, the roster has the feel of one that could finally end the program’s NCAA Tournament drought.
The biggest question, of course, is whether Indiana gets back to the 2027 NCAA Tournament. That poll is still open.
Fans were a little more measured when it came to the win total. Indiana hasn’t reached 20 victories since the 2022-23 season, when the Hoosiers earned a No. 4 seed behind Trayce Jackson-Davis’ standout play, and the fan base doesn’t seem to be expecting a huge leap overnight.
The most popular pick was 20-24 wins, which drew 61% of the vote. Another 22% think Indiana lands in the 25-29 range, while 11% see the Hoosiers finishing with 19 wins or fewer.
Just 6% believe this team gets to 30 or more.
The scoring race produced the closest call in the bunch. Markus Burton, Aiden Sherrell and Bryce Lindsay each grabbed 30% of the vote, while Jaeden Mustaf trailed at 10%. Burton and Lindsay have already flashed real scoring ability for Indiana, and Sherrell has been getting his points at a steadier pace.
There was also a clear answer when fans were asked which freshman will have the biggest role. Indiana added three high school prospects in the class of 2026 and brought in German big Clemens Sokolov from the international ranks, and several of them saw meaningful action in exhibition play.
Vaughn Karvala was somewhat limited by injury, while Trevor Manhertz logged serious minutes off the bench. Manhertz came out on top in the poll with 60% of the vote.
Karvala followed at 30%, Prince-Alexander Moody had 20% before his knee injury, and Sokolov finished at 10% after seeing only limited minutes in exhibition play.
Fans also seem to believe the identity shift is real on the defensive end. DeVries’ first team leaned heavily on offense, especially 3-point shooting, but this group is being built to do damage with size, pressure and physicality. In the poll asking whether offense or defense would prove more impactful in 2026-27, defense won by a mile with 80% of the vote.
And if Indiana is going to live up to the rebounding-first blueprint, the Hoosiers may need to be elite on the glass. DeVries has made offensive rebounding a central part of the message, both in practice and publicly, and fans are on board with that idea too. When asked whether Indiana would finish in the top 10 nationally in offensive rebounding rate, 56% answered yes.
In Other News...
Indiana Still Looks Like A CFP Team But One Flaw Looms
Indianas place in the national picture is looking more and more legitimate, and the advanced metrics agree. The Hoosiers sit No. 8 in ESPNs Football Power Index and No. 6 in SP+, with FPI giving them an 84.6% chance to reach the College Football Playoff and a 38% shot at winning the Big Ten. For a program trying to turn a strong start into something bigger, that kind of profile is exactly what you want to see this deep into the season.
Still, the numbers also point to the part of the team that could make things trickier down the stretch. Indianas defense has carried its share of the load, but the offense and special teams remain the areas that need the most attention, and the special teams efficiency has been especially low. In a race this tight, that kind of hidden weakness can matter just as much as the headline-grabbing rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans May Be Blaming Josh Hoover For The Wrong Problem
Indiana football keeps stacking wins and climbing the rankings, but the margin for comfort has been thin enough to keep the conversation pointed at the offense. Josh Hoover has been playing through an arm injury, and his passing has clearly not looked as clean as it did earlier in the season. Still, the Hoosiers are 8-1 and sitting No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which says plenty about how much they have been able to survive even when the offense has not been at its sharpest.
The frustration from fans has naturally landed on Hoover, but the bigger issue may be broader than one quarterbacks health. Indiana has dealt with limited receiving options and has run into some strong opposing defenses, two factors that can make any passing game look stuck in place. With the games getting tighter and the stakes rising, the question is less about whether Hoover has been part of the problem and more about whether he has been asked to carry too much of it. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Early Identity Starts Coming Into Focus Against Bellarmine
Indianas early-season identity is already taking shape, and it starts with the frontcourt. As the Hoosiers get ready for their second game of the 2026-27 season against Bellarmine at Assembly Hall, the emphasis is on rebounding and on using the size advantage that comes with two 7-footers in Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell. Sherrells showing in the opener offered an early glimpse of how Indiana wants to play, with the paint and the glass looking like a clear priority.
The bigger question now is how the rest of the rotation fits around that interior strength. Guard Jaeden Mustaf is one of the more interesting pieces to watch as the season develops, and his role should become easier to define once Indiana gets a few more games under its belt. For now, the Hoosiers appear intent on making their length and physicality a foundation, and Bellarmine is the next chance to see how real that approach can be. [Read more 🡒]