Tucker DeVries in a Funk: Indiana’s Key Scorer Searching for His Rhythm in Big Ten Play
Tucker DeVries didn’t come to Bloomington to blend in - he came to make an impact. A fifth-year senior and two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, DeVries followed his father, head coach Darian DeVries, from West Virginia to Indiana with high expectations. And early on, he looked every bit the part.
Through nonconference play, DeVries was one of the Hoosiers’ most reliable scoring options, averaging 17.3 points per game and fitting seamlessly into the 3-point-heavy system his father is trying to build. His ability to stretch the floor and knock down shots from deep gave Indiana a dynamic edge. But once Big Ten play began, the script flipped - and not in Indiana’s favor.
Right now, DeVries is mired in a shooting slump that’s tough to ignore. His scoring average has plummeted to 9.6 points per game in conference play, and he's connecting on just 24% of his 3-point attempts.
That’s a steep drop for a player who was brought in to be a cornerstone of the offense. His season average has dipped to 14.3 points per game, and Indiana’s offense has felt the strain.
There have been flickers of hope. Against Michigan State, DeVries opened the game by drilling a 3-pointer that gave Indiana an early lead.
For a moment, it looked like the start of a breakout. But that spark didn’t last - he missed his next six shots from beyond the arc and finished the game 1-for-7 in a 20-point loss.
That kind of night has become too familiar lately.
After the game, Coach Darian DeVries acknowledged the slump but remained optimistic.
“He hit that first one, (I) thought, you know, maybe that would be the start of it,” the elder DeVries said. “But it's got to happen. He's got to find his way back out of it.”
This is Tucker’s first real stretch of heavy minutes in a high-major conference. He dominated at Drake, but his time at West Virginia was cut short due to shoulder surgery, limiting his exposure to Big 12 competition. Now, in the grind of the Big Ten, he’s facing longer, more athletic defenders and a level of physicality that’s exposing the smallest cracks in his game.
Still, his coach - and father - isn’t losing faith.
“He's certainly in one of those shooting slumps that everybody goes through at some point in time, but ... his has been an extended one here for a good, good chunk of time,” Darian said following Indiana’s recent loss to Iowa, which dropped the Hoosiers to 3-4 in conference play. “He's certainly been putting in the work in our practices and stuff, he's shooting the heck out of it.
So it's just one of those things. He's got to get it going, and we’ve got to continue to find those better looks and opportunities that we can get him free a little bit more.”
There’s no question the Hoosiers need DeVries to rediscover his shooting touch. His ability to space the floor and knock down shots is central to Indiana’s offensive identity. And with the team reeling from three straight conference losses, they need all the firepower they can get.
Slumps happen - even to the best shooters. But Indiana’s season might hinge on how quickly Tucker DeVries can shoot his way out of this one.