Year one under Darian DeVries in Bloomington was a rollercoaster for Indiana basketball, filled with ups and downs that ultimately left the Hoosiers on the outside looking in when it came to the NCAA Tournament. Early on, there was hope.
The team was sitting pretty with a 17-8 record and an 8-6 mark in Big Ten play by February 9, seeming like a surefire bet to dance in March. But a late-season slide, going 1-6, dashed those dreams, leaving fans wondering what could have been.
Missing the tournament three years straight-and eight out of the last ten-is a tough pill to swallow for a program with such a rich history. Hoosier fans are understandably frustrated, and their feedback on DeVries’ debut season reflects that sentiment.
In a fan survey conducted by SBNation, only a small fraction of Indiana supporters-just 10%-felt DeVries deserved an A or B for his efforts. On the flip side, a significant 45% handed out grades of D or F, showing a clear dissatisfaction with the season's outcome.
A considerable portion of fans, 45%, rated DeVries’ performance as average, giving him a C. Yet, the overall tone from the fanbase leans negative, with the majority feeling that the season fell short of expectations.
Here’s how the SBNation fan poll broke down DeVries’ first year:
- A: 1%
- B: 9%
- C: 45%
- D: 32%
- F: 13%
DeVries came in with ambitions of crafting an Indiana team that played with speed and shot effectively from beyond the arc. However, the reality was a team often bogged down in half-court sets, finishing 11th in the Big Ten with a three-point shooting percentage of 34.7%. Lamar Wilkerson was tasked with shouldering too much of the offensive load, and the lack of scoring depth proved to be a significant hurdle.
Looking ahead, DeVries faces the challenge of a roster overhaul, with nearly 78% of minutes played and 84% of scoring from this past season needing replacement. Year two will be crucial for DeVries to win back the faith of the Hoosier faithful and steer the program back to its winning ways.