Indiana basketball has newfound confidence after recent victories against both rival Purdue at home and UCLA on the road, but what has changed?
Indiana basketball’s redshirt sophomore guard Tayton Conerway suffered a right ankle injury against Iowa on Jan. 17. He made it back onto the court during that game, however, likely not for the best, considering his recent lack of minutes. Against Michigan, he saw the court for only 2 minutes and 16 seconds in the following game at Rutgers on Jan. 23. Since then, however, he hasn’t played with an apparent ankle brace.
Nick Dorn hotstreak
The starter’s absence, however, hasn’t been all bad for Indiana basketball. With Conerway currently out, junior forward Nick Dorn has taken a spot in the starting lineup as of the Purdue game.
Nick Dorn has hit a few of these today for @IndianaMBB 😏
📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/obxRvrE1uB
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) February 1, 2026
Dorn, a player who missed the first few games of the season due to injury, is now putting up numbers that he hasn’t before. In the past four games, the Elon transfer has hit double digits. In the double-overtime thriller against UCLA, Dorn was the point leader, dropping his season-high 26 points in his 48 minutes on the court. He went 8-for-18 for the field and 6-for-15 from downtown. Along with this, he brought down 7 rebounds.
He is looking like a new basketball player than the one at the start of the season and is making a name for himself with his (not so) newfound confidence.
“When I shoot it, I feel like it’s going in regardless of where I shoot it or how I shoot. I’ve just always had that confidence ever since I was little,” Dorn said after beating the Bruins.
To put the cherry on top of a great week for Dorn, he was awarded the Player of the Week by Andy Katz.
🏆 Weekly Awards from @TheAndyKatz 🏆
Team of the Week: Michigan
Player of the Week: Nick Dorn
Freshman of the Week: Darryn Peterson pic.twitter.com/QVXx1eEXtQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 2, 2026
Bailey coming in clutch
Another player stepping up for Indiana Basketball is senior forward Reed Bailey. UCLA’s strong coverage of Tucker DeVries led to a stellar night for Bailey. He tied Lamar Wilkerson with 24 points each on the night. He went 6-for-7 from the field, but what really got people intrigued was his 12-for-13 from the stripe. He was one of three Hoosiers who put up over 20 points.
🔥 PTS: 24
🎯 FG: 6-7
🎯 FT: 12-13Relive Reed Bailey’s highly efficient effort in @IndianaMBB‘s 2OT win at UCLA 👇 pic.twitter.com/gAyHh0qo38
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) February 1, 2026
The Davidson transfer also went on a 7-0 run in under three minutes. 11 of Indiana’s 14 points following this run were scored by Bailey. This was an essential run for the Hoosiers, as it turned a tie game into a 9-point lead with just over four minutes to go.
Indiana Basketball’s recent Quadrant 1 wins have given this team some credibility. Also, they are projected to have more wins by the end of the season than any other NCAA Tournament non-locks in the Big Ten Conference. They are certainly in the tournament conversation.
Up next for Indiana Basketball (15-7): vs. USC (16-6), Feb. 3 at 10 p.m.