Indiana basketball began its season on Wednesday night and this new team did not disappoint.
Indiana basketball stepped out on the floor for the first time this season tonight in Assembly Hall to usher in a new era for the Hoosiers. Although an unfamiliar group going into the game, that will undoubtedly change soon, as the squad made their mark in their first performance of the 2025-26 season. Playing well on both ends of the court, this Indiana team has already shown a lot that fans can be optimistic about.
There is a lot that is working for them, but before going into that, there is something else that is important to address, and that is the environment in Assembly Hall. A mecca of college basketball, this Bloomington institution is known for being a tough environment for any visiting opponent, and it lived up to that on Wednesday night. By tip-off, the student section was full, which is something that was not seen much, if at all, last season. Even during warm-ups, there was a buzz from fans, and one thing was clear: Indiana is excited for head coach Darian DeVries and his new Hoosier team.
As soon as play started, one thing immediately stood out, and that was Indiana’s defense. It is evident that defense will be important to the identity of this team, and one player who is a huge factor in this is guard Conor Enright. Enright, a DePaul transfer, finished the game with zero points, but still had a large impact on the game thanks to his ability to stop the ball. Although the defense as a whole seemed to hit a lull for a portion of the second half, it was still something that allowed Indiana basketball to have control over the game and win by the margin that they did.
Now on to the offense. There were a lot of exciting stats to come from this game, one of them being that the Hoosiers finished the game with five players scoring in double-digits. Those players were Reed Bailey, Lamar Wilkerson, Tayton Conerway, Tucker DeVries, and Sam Alexis. Bailey, a transfer from Davidson, led the way in scoring with 21 points, along with 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Close behind him were Lamar Wilkerson, who finished with 19 points, and Tucker DeVries, who finished with 18 points.
For DeVries, those weren’t just another 18 points as they allowed him to reach the milestone of 2,000 career points, bringing his career total to 2,004 by the end of the night.
The team went 100% from the free-throw line, going 16-16. They finished with a field goal percentage of 62.1% and a three-point percentage of 41.7%. In the press conference after the game, coach DeVries explained that a lot of this success comes from the confidence this team has gained throughout the preseason and during practice.
“They’re very sure of themselves, and they know that they have the green light. They put in the time and the work. You know, so on game night, you know, let it rip, and that’s kind of our philosophy. We don’t want them to hesitate,” said DeVries
Another thing that is interesting to note about the scoring is that Florida transfer Sam Alexis was not included in the starting lineup and still finished the first half with 15 points and ended the game with a total of 17. The depth seen from the Hoosiers when it comes to scoring the ball is not only fun to watch, but something that will be vital going through the rest of the season.
Indiana basketball is off to a solid start and will look to build on their first win this Sunday as they travel to the United Center in Chicago to take on Marquette.
[…] is shooting 47.1% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. In his first game with the Hoosiers against Alabama A & M, he reached his 2,000 career point milestone, and with the momentum from that, he’s been able to […]