Indiana basketball has been in purgatory for far too long. As a senior at Indiana, I have seen the football team make two, and likely three postseason tournaments. I have seen the basketball team make exactly 0. After giving it some thought, I believe a successful season ends in Indiana playing a game on Saturday or Sunday of the NCAA tournament.

In year 2 under Darian DeVries, the expectations in Bloomington should be elevated. In my opinion, they failed to meet expectations a season ago when they missed the tournament. The roster was simply not good enough to compete in the Big Ten, but the blueprint was there for Indiana. To just make the tournament, especially in a newly expanded 76 team field, is not good enough for a program that was at one time the pinnacle of the sport.

NIL

An increase in NIL money should be one of the main advantages this new look Hoosiers team has. The fanbase is starved for success, and with football proving that anybody can win, fans are clamoring for basketball to take the same steps forward. Indiana has invested almost 20 million dollars into this roster, good for top 15 in the sport. If all of that money does not result in at least an appearance in round 2 of the tournament, fans will be calling for a coaching change in Bloomington after just 2 years.

Young Pieces

Indiana built a team last year that was almost entirely seniors. This year, they have taken a different approach. Sam Alexis is the only player who is out of eligibility for next season. What this tells me is Coach DeVries sees this being a 2-3 year run of sustained success with this core group of players. However, the first step is to show that the team is good enough this year to not only make, but win a game in the tournament.

Talent

One of the problems with last year’s team was the complete lack of talent. Whatever the reason, Indiana was not talented enough to compete for a tournament win, or even make it there. This year, that can no longer be an excuse. Every rotational player is coming from a power conference background, along with 3 four-star freshmen. Indiana does not have the most talented roster in the country, but it is certainly in the top 25. If DeVries cannot win with this much handpicked talent, his job is on the line.

Late Season Failures

Indiana has been plagued by the way they have ended their seasons. This is not just a DeVries problem, but a Mike Woodson problem as well. For three seasons in a row, Indiana has gotten blown out in the Big Ten Tournament. Last year, they lost by 13 to Northwestern in a game that had they won, would have put them in the tournament. The year before, they lost to Oregon by 13, in a game that was never really close. In 2023, they lost 66-93 to a Nebraska team that had already embarrassed them in Bloomington earlier in the season. They do not have to win the Big Ten Tournament, but losing in a respectable manner should be the bare minimum. If they can use the conference tournament as a runaway to the big dance, like good programs do, winning one game should not be that difficult.

Program Failures

Darian DeVries is in a tough spot. He disappointed the fan base a season ago, and they are now impatient. This is not his fault, as Indiana basketball has been a disappointing product for the better part of 30 years. However, the longer it goes on, the less patience people have with whoever is in control. Being out on him after one season isn’t fair to him. He knows how to recruit, coach, and win in this era of NIL and modern basketball. However, if he does not win a game in the tournament in year two, the fanbase is not going to hear excuses from a program that has not met their standards since Bobby Knight was still coaching.

All in all, this is a pretty low bar for success for Indiana basketball. Even if they do not make the second weekend, even if they are not a protected seed, just simply winning a game in March will be enough to gain support for DeVries through another year at the helm. This is going to be a fun year of Indiana basketball. For the first time in a while, it feels like they have a coach and a roster built to win in this era of the sport. For Indiana fans, they are expecting a leap forward. Making the tournament might be enough for DeVries to keep his job, but winning a game in March would be a significant turning point for the program. If the Hoosiers advance in the NCAA tournament, it is inarguable that the season was a success in year 2 of the DeVries era at Indiana.

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Cover Photo Courtesy of the NCAA