Indiana basketball’s preseason gave fans a clear look at what Darian DeVries might have cooking in year two. Three exhibition games were enough to tease the possibilities. Monday’s opener against Eastern Illinois is where the real test begins.
And if those exhibitions are any indication, there are a few developments worth watching closely once the games start counting.
Bryce Lindsay may be the most obvious candidate to force his way into the starting five. DeVries stuck with the same first unit all preseason, but Lindsay’s production made a strong case for a bigger role.
He led Indiana in scoring across the exhibition slate at 17.3 points per game and knocked down 10 of 23 shots from 3-point range. The shooting stands out, but his ability to create for himself and others might be what really changes the lineup picture.
That kind of versatility could leave Darren Harris on the outside looking in, though that’s more about Lindsay’s value than any knock on Harris. Harris still brings scoring at all three levels off the bench, while Jaeden Mustaf’s defense and downhill attack make him hard to dislodge from the starting group.
Even so, Lindsay already looks like Indiana’s most important reserve. By the end of the season, he could easily be one of the five starters.
Aiden Sherrell is another player who could take a noticeable step forward. He was productive at Alabama, but Indiana may be getting a more complete version of the 7-footer.
Last season, Sherrell averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and shot 22.8% from 3-point range. This year, the expectation is that those numbers rise to at least 13 points, seven rebounds and 35% from deep.
That kind of floor spacing matters next to Samet Yigitoglu, whose interior presence should open things up elsewhere. Sherrell also proved he can work on the glass, pulling down 24 rebounds in Indiana’s three exhibitions, just ahead of Yigitoglu’s 22. With his size, shooting and rebounding all in the mix, Sherrell has a chance to become one of the Hoosiers’ most complete players.
Then there’s Trevor Manhertz, who could end up in some rare company if the shot volume keeps coming. Only two Indiana freshmen have ever made at least 70 3-pointers in a season: James Blackmon Jr., who hit 77 in 2014-15, and Eric Gordon, who made 70 in 2007-08. Manhertz has a shot to join that list.
He averaged 4.3 3-point attempts during the preseason and even launched six against Western Kentucky. Hitting 70 would require a much bigger workload, but that’s exactly what makes this prediction interesting.
If he gets six attempts per game and shoots 36% from deep, he’d land at 69 made threes over a 32-game regular season. That would put him right on the doorstep late in the year.
The bigger point is opportunity. Manhertz averaged more than 19 minutes per game in the exhibitions, and his value beyond shooting has already earned DeVries’ trust. If that playing time sticks and the green light stays on, he could make a real run at the freshman record books.
Indiana’s biggest team-wide leap may come on the boards. The Hoosiers finished 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, but this roster looks built to flip that script.
In the three exhibitions, Indiana outrebounded its opponents 155-103 and won the battle on the glass by double digits every time. The Hoosiers also averaged 17 offensive rebounds per game, creating a steady stream of second chances.
Yigitoglu, Sherrell and Sam Alexis give Indiana the size it lacked a year ago, but the improvement is not just about the frontcourt. DeVries has made rebounding a group job, with guards and wings expected to pitch in instead of leaving the dirty work to the bigs. Exhibition success doesn’t guarantee anything once Big Ten play starts, especially against bigger, more physical opponents, but the intent is obvious and the personnel is there.
The boldest prediction of all is the one that stretches into March: Indiana reaches the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2016. That’s a big swing, and it would take a lot to go right. Still, the pieces are in place.
Burton and Lindsay give the Hoosiers veteran scoring. Sherrell and Yigitoglu bring the size to handle tough frontcourts.
And if Indiana’s rebounding edge carries over, that could matter even more in tournament settings. A Sweet 16 run would likely require several players to play near their best and a favorable draw to help along the way.
But March is often about matchups, timing and peaking at the right moment.
Indiana has a roster that can make that kind of push. The next step is proving it.
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The early stretch also comes with a couple of games that should tell Indiana plenty about where it stands against high-end competition. Arkansas and Kentucky loom as the most demanding nonconference tests, with Arkansas bringing in a talented freshman class and Kentucky offering the kind of interior size that will challenge the Hoosiers right away. If Indiana is going to make the kind of push it wants, those matchups may end up shaping the conversation before Big Ten play really settles in. [Read more 🡒]