Sam Alexis’ status has gone from a welcome boost to a major headache for Indiana, and if the Hoosiers lose him now, it would hit them in a few different ways.
Darian DeVries had kept a roster spot open all summer, clearly leaving room for a late addition. That patience looked smart when a U.S.
District Court judge in Colorado issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month in a challenge to the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule. The ruling handed thousands of athletes in the high school Class of 2022 another year of eligibility, and Alexis was among them.
He then announced plans to return to Bloomington.
But the situation changed quickly this week when the Tennessee Court of Appeals stayed that injunction pending appeal. That leaves Alexis ineligible for now, and if that holds, Indiana would take a real hit.
First, the Hoosiers would be losing a frontcourt player who already has proven he can handle Big Ten basketball. DeVries made it clear last season that Indiana needed more size and athleticism at the 4 and 5 spots, and the staff worked the portal with that in mind.
Alexis would have fit that need. He’s played four college seasons - two at Chattanooga, one at Florida, and one at Indiana - and he also comes with championship experience after being part of Florida’s National Championship team in 2024-25.
Last season, he played in all 32 games with 23 starts, averaging 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
He also brought something Indiana badly needed on the glass. The Hoosiers finished dead last in the Big Ten with just 8.1 offensive rebounds per game, and Alexis led the team with 60 offensive rebounds and 1.9 per game.
Sherrell and Yigitoglu are expected to carry a lot of that load this season, but Alexis was more than capable of helping in a meaningful way. Losing that depth would matter.
There’s also the issue of continuity, or what little of it Indiana has had. In the portal era, teams can survive turnover if they keep enough core pieces in place.
Indiana hasn’t had much of that under DeVries so far, with sophomore Trent Sisley the only returner from last year’s roster. Alexis coming back would have at least given the Hoosiers a veteran who already knows DeVries’ coaching style and offensive system.
As a 5th-year senior, he would have brought real experience to a roster built mostly from transfers.
And then there’s the defensive side, where Indiana would miss him most in a hurry. The Hoosiers averaged just 2.7 blocks per game last season, which ranked 13th in the Big Ten.
Alexis was their most reliable rim protector, leading the team with 1.2 blocks per game. Tucker DeVries was second on the team at 0.6.
Without Alexis, that burden shifts heavily onto newcomers Aiden Sherrell from Alabama and Samet Yigitoglu from SMU.
If Alexis is out, Indiana doesn’t just lose a player. It loses size, experience, continuity, and one of its most dependable defensive pieces all at once.
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