Indiana’s offense could look a lot different in 2026-27, and the biggest reason is simple: the Hoosiers may finally have real shooting depth.
That was the problem last season. Indiana took threes at a high clip - No. 14 in the country in three-point rate - but the results lagged behind the volume.
The Hoosiers hit just 34.7 percent from deep, which ranked No. 131 nationally, according to Bart Torvik. Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries and Nick Dorn could all light it up, but the help behind them was thin.
Only three other Hoosiers made at least 10 threes all season, and none averaged more than one per game.
That lack of balance made life harder for everyone. Indiana’s best shooters were forced into tougher attempts, the team’s overall efficiency dipped, and the floor never really opened up the way it needed to. Driving lanes got crowded, and downhill attacks became a chore.
Head coach Darian DeVries believes that’s about to change.
“I like this group’s shooting,” DeVries said on ‘The Sideline With Andy Katz’ on Tuesday. “I think we have great depth there as well.
I think Darren Harris has looked really good in our workouts so far this summer. He’s done a lot of things similar to Lamar [Wilkerson] in our workouts, so that’s exciting because we all know how Lamar could fill it up.
“Markus [Burton] can shoot it, Bryce [Lindsay] can shoot it. Jaeden Mustaf has shot it very well.
Our freshmen have been shooting it. And then Aiden Sherrell has shot the ball incredibly here throughout the summer so far.
So it gives us a lot of different ways that we can stretch the floor.”
Harris is the name that jumps off the page. If he’s really doing “a lot of things similar to Lamar” in workouts, Indiana may have found a breakout scorer hiding in plain sight.
Harris spent his first two college seasons at Duke and hasn’t had a true chance to show what he can do. That chance is coming now, and DeVries’ comments suggest he’s making the most of it.
Mustaf and Sherrell also matter a lot here, and for different reasons. Sherrell’s shooting could end up being one of the biggest swing factors on the roster.
He’ll share the frontcourt with SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu, so he has to provide spacing. If DeVries’ summer read is accurate, that may not be a small part of his game - it may be a major one.
Mustaf is another key piece. He has never made more than 0.7 threes per game, but if he starts connecting more often, Indiana’s lineup gets a lot harder to guard.
In that scenario, the only two projected non-shooters would be Yigitoglu and freshman Clemens Sokolov, both of whom would be asked to hold down the interior. The two would never be on the floor together.
That kind of shooting balance changes everything. Indiana would still have the obvious upside of a team that can catch fire from deep on any given night. But just as important, the Hoosiers would no longer be living and dying with one or two shooters carrying the whole load.
The spacing should also make the rest of the offense easier to run. Driving lanes should open up.
Yigitoglu and Sherrell should have more room to operate inside. And if the shooting really does come together the way DeVries thinks it can, Indiana’s offense may be built to look a whole lot more dangerous next season.
In Other News...
Respected IU Board Member Walks Away As Bigger Concerns Grow
James Fielding, an Indiana University alumnus and three-term member of the IU Foundation board, is stepping away after deciding not to seek a fourth term, a move that lands at a sensitive moment for the university. Fielding said his concerns have grown around how the administration has handled questions from the board, along with the broader pressures now shaping higher education, and he pointed to frustrations over diversity and inclusion efforts as part of that unease.
Fielding also tied his departure to the shifting political climate around IU governance, where state actions have altered who holds influence inside the universitys leadership structure. Even as he leaves the board, he said he plans to keep supporting IU through other philanthropic channels, a sign that his break is with the institutions direction rather than the school itself. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Manhertz Just Gave IU Fans An Early Reason To Watch
Trevor Manhertz has already spent more than a month around Indiana, and the early read on the 6-foot-8 forward is the kind Hoosier fans tend to like. As the third commitment in IUs 2026 class, he has been getting a head start on college life while the team gets ready for its trip to Lima, Peru, for the FISU America Games, and he spent part of a recent media session talking through the adjustment, the staff around him and the way he sees his own game fitting in.
Manhertz said the biggest change so far has been the physicality of college basketball, but he also sounded encouraged by the support system he has found on campus. He pointed to the coaching staff and to teammates such as Trent Sisley and Markus Burton as people helping him settle in, and the upcoming international run should give him and IU an early chance to build chemistry in a real game setting before the seasons bigger questions arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Recruiting Momentum Is Starting To Take Shape This July
Indianas first July evaluation period is already giving Darian DeVries and his staff a chance to get around and see the next wave of targets in person. The Hoosiers were at the adidas 3SSB event, where they took in a busy slate of games and continued the early work of building out relationships with prospects across multiple classes, a process that matters even more with a new staff trying to establish itself quickly.
The trip also included a look at Indiana commit Chase Branham, giving the Hoosiers a live check on a player already in the fold while the rest of the board keeps coming into focus. With DeVries and his assistants expected to keep moving from event to event through the evaluation period, the bigger question is how many of those in-person sightings turn into real traction once the summer circuit settles down. [Read more 🡒]