Indiana’s first look at Darian DeVries’ reshaped roster came Friday night at the Cream and Crimson Scrimmage, and the biggest impression was simple: this team looks very different.
The Hoosiers played four eight-minute quarters in their annual exhibition as they continue building toward the 2026-27 season, and with 11 new players in the mix, there was plenty to sort through. Indiana is coming off an 18-14 season and a third straight missed NCAA Tournament, and only two scholarship players from that group were back on the floor: sophomore forward Trent Sisley and 5th-year forward Sam Alexis, who regained his eligibility after a court order.
Every new addition saw action except freshman forward Vaughn Karvala, who sat out with a lower-body issue. Team Crimson won three of the four quarters, though no official stats were kept.
The Indiana Daily Student tracked unofficial numbers, with senior guard Bryce Lindsay leading all scorers with 23 points and junior guard Darren Harris right behind him with 22. Freshman forward Trevor Manhertz posted a team-high seven assists, nine rebounds and three steals, while junior center Samet Yigitoglu and Alexis each blocked two shots.
One of the clearest positives for Indiana was the shooting and versatility of junior forward Aiden Sherrell. The Alabama transfer, listed at 7-foot and 250 pounds, gave the Hoosiers a frontcourt option who could stretch the floor without giving up size.
Sherrell finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, and 12 of those points came from 3-pointers. He kept firing from deep and made it clear he can be more than just a presence near the rim.
That frontcourt size showed up everywhere. Last season, Indiana’s tallest player was 6-foot-10 forward Reed Bailey, but DeVries added three players listed at 7-foot or taller over the offseason.
The result was a much bigger lineup that made itself felt on the glass. The Hoosiers finished with 52 rebounds, well ahead of last season’s 32.4 boards per game.
Manhertz led the way with nine, freshman center Clemens Sokolov had eight, Sherrell added seven and Yigitoglu collected six.
Lindsay’s night picked up late, and it came in a hurry. The 6-foot-4 Villanova transfer was quiet early before taking over the fourth quarter, when he scored the first six points of the period on a pair of 3-pointers from the left wing.
He added another deep shot from the right side and then finished a fast break layup to cap an 11-point burst. That kind of scoring spurt was no surprise after what he did in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, when he hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points in Villanova’s loss to Utah State University.
Lindsay had multiple 3-pointers in 20 games last season, and Indiana’s perimeter-heavy approach should give him room to keep launching.
Burton, meanwhile, looked more like a table-setter than a pure scorer. The senior guard and former Notre Dame point guard controlled the offense when he was on the court, finishing with six assists and no turnovers while also grabbing four rebounds.
He scored eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, but the more important part was how he ran the group, pushing the ball to the rim and finding shooters around the arc. In his first three seasons with the Fighting Irish, the Mishawaka native averaged 19.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field.
For the returners, Friday was a mixed opening. Alexis, who averaged 8.8 points last season and set a program record by shooting 68.7% from the field, managed just two points on 1-for-4 shooting.
He still made his presence felt defensively with two blocks, but he also picked up four fouls. Sisley, who averaged 4.2 points and shot 43% as a freshman, finished with four points and three rebounds while missing all four of his 3-point attempts.
He’s expected to take a step forward this season, but the scrimmage was a reminder that Indiana’s new-look roster will be leaning heavily on its transfers to carry the early load.
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