Darian DeVries put together a top-10 transfer portal class to offset the loss of nearly their entire roster. Now, Indiana basketball has players with power-conference experience as it enters the 2026-27 season.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason college basketball teams before the season starts. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Indiana basketball.
The saying goes, “In 49 states, it’s just basketball… but this is Indiana.” There’s no question about it– Indiana basketball fans are craving the program that IU once was. It’s been three years since the Hoosiers have even made the NCAA Tournament. Since their solid 2022-23 season, in which they tied for 2nd in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers haven’t posted a winning conference record, last doing so in 2015-16, when they finished 1st (15-3).
Last season under 1st-year head coach Darian DeVries, Indiana underwent a complete roster turnover. As the season continued, it was evident that it would be a rebuilding year for Indiana basketball. As DeVries enters his second year as Indiana’s head coach, he faced nearly a 100% roster turnover rate yet again. This time, however, he cultivated a roster with much more power-conference experience, height, and versatility.
The two names Hoosier fans were immediately thrilled about were fourth-year guard Markus Burton from Notre Dame and third-year forward Aiden Sherrell from Alabama. Both were selected to be the Indiana representatives at the 2026 Big Ten Media Day, where both expressed how excited they were to play in the historic Assembly Hall in front of die-hard Indiana fans,
“That feeling, I imagine, being in Assembly Hall with the fans supporting us… I just know it’s going to be a great feeling. Just excitement everywhere.” Sherrell said.
Coming in from Villanova is fourth-year Bryce Lindsay, who should start at the two. He has already proven himself as a scorer at Villanova and brings tournament experience as well. During Indiana basketball’s Cream and Crimson Intrasquad Scrimmage on Oct. 2, Lindsay led the team with 23 points. Joining him in the starting lineup will be third-year guard Darren Harris from Duke at the three. And last of the starters is what Indiana basketball has been searching for for years: a legitimate big man. For the 2026-27 season, that is none other than 7’2″ center and third-year Samet Yigitoglu from SMU. The Istanbul, Turkey native should finally give the Hoosiers a reliable paint presence. At Big Ten Media Day, Sherrell expressed the chemistry that he and Yigitoglu have cultivated during this summer’s training and matchups,
“I’ve been seeing us complement each other very well. Samet plays down low and is very physical. Just me and him piggybacking off each other… I’m able to play inside and outside. And even when we’re on different teams, just like us competing against each other, we’re banging down low with each other,” said Sherrell.
DeVries has also brought in some valuable names to come off the bench. Jaeden Mustaf, third-year guard from Georgia Tech, should be a strong support for Burton. First-year guards Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala should see some minutes as well and are great for this team’s depth. The returners to this Indiana program include second-year forward Trent Sisley and fifth-year forward Sam Alexis.
This new roster, largely thanks to the transfer portal, has the tools to shake things up in the Big Ten this year and even in the NCAA Tournament. And with one year of Indiana basketball under his belt, DeVries should be in his 2nd year in the Big Ten with more confidence compared to last season.
Head coach: Darian DeVries (9th season overall, 2nd at Indiana)
2025-26 record: 18-14 (9-11)
2026 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Lamar Wilkerson (20.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 46.3% FG, 37.8% 3P)
- Tucker DeVries (13.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 38.7% FG, 33.3% 3P)
- Coner Enright (4.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 40.5% FG, 34.7% 3P)
- Tayton Conerway (9.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 56.1% FG, 29.0% 3P)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Syracuse (Nov. 9) – Indianapolis, IN
- vs. Arkansas (Nov. 17) – Madison Square Garden
- vs. Kentucky (Nov. 20) – Indianapolis, IN
- vs. UCF (Dec. 12)
- vs. Missouri (Dec. 19)
Projected Rotation
PG: Markus Burton (6-0, 180, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 18.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.7 APG (Notre Dame)
SG: Bryce Lindsay (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 38.3 FG%, 35.6 3P% (Villanova)
SF: Darren Harris (6-5, 205, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 3.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 36.3 FG%, 9.7 MPG (Duke)
PF: Aiden Sherrell (7-0, 250, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 53.9 FG%, 2.2 BPG (Alabama)
C: Samet Yigitoglu (7-2, 270, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 62.8 FG%, 1.3 BPG (SMU)
6: Jaeden Mustaf (6-6, 215, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 38.9 3P% (Georgia Tech)
7: Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 68.7 FG%, 1.2 BPG
8: Trent Sisley (6-8, 230, So.)
2025-26 stats: 4.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.4 APG
9: Price-Alexander Moody (6-4, 185, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 116 ranked recruit
10: Vaughn Karvala (6-6, 180, Fr.)
247Sports No. 69 ranked recruit
Indiana basketball team MVP: Aiden Sherrell
Sherrell has the potential to be the MVP of this Indiana basketball team for a couple of reasons. First, he addresses IU’s biggest recent ongoing issue: versatile size. The Alabama transfer will bring a strong interior presence while also contributing from the outside. Especially when paired with Yigitoglu as the big man, Sherrell doesn’t have to be solely focused on playing under the basket, as recent Indiana basketball bigs have been.
Last season, Sherrell made 33.8% of his shots from beyond the arc, and he has continued to improve this shot this summer. If Indiana can add distance shooting to their already talented perimeter guards in the starting lineup, the Hoosiers should see some high-volume offensive games this season.
Indiana basketball make-or-break player: Samet Yigitoglu
Back to Yigitoglu. He has the opportunity to be the anchor for this offense, but it comes down to a few things. His 7’2″ frame is exactly what Indiana has needed, and Yigitoglu needs to make this count. He already comes from the ACC, where he has faced solid teams; however, the Big Ten is a different beast in terms of physicality and size. Can he translate his aggression to the Big Ten?
Defensively, the biggest factor of his play to watch will be how he handles quicker offenses and ball screens that would pull him away from the basket. If he is successful at this, Sherrell is automatically opened up and can produce from outside the paint. If he gets pulled outside, however, Sherrell’s role will become increasingly more difficult. At the end of the Mike Woodson era of Indiana basketball, the two-big lineup failed miserably. Last season with DeVries, there really wasn’t enough size to even run a solid two-big lineup, and game results were often dependent on how Lamar Wilkerson performed. This season, if Yigitoglu stands strong in the center, opportunities open up for everyone else, and this team should be very intimidating.
Key statistic: Offensive Rebounds
Last season, Indiana basketball’s biggest statistical weaknesses were their offense and total rebounds. They averaged just 8.2 offensive rebounds per game (344th nationally) and 32.4 rebounds per game (315th nationally). This put them in a poor position to make anything happen after missed shots. This ranked them 15th in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding rate.
This season, Indiana really has the assets to completely change this narrative. The Sherrell-Yigitoglu frontcourt combo should serve well in this area and can be the key to creating second chances for the Hoosiers.
Indiana basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 6th in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite Eight exit