This new-look Indiana team, led by first-year head coach Darian DeVries has already ignited excitement in Bloomington. For the Indiana fanbase, after the relatively unsuccessful Mike Woodson years, which were characterized by a low-volume three-point shooting offense, it’s certainly a welcome sight to see DeVries’ squad embracing today’s new era of basketball.
Between the high-level shooting on Indiana’s roster, along with the gifted facilitators, there’s a lot to like about the Hoosiers on offense. Defensively, though, it’s an entirely different story – although it’s a unique situation. In the 2025-2026 season, it doesn’t appear as though getting the initial stop will be a problem for Indiana, but actually completing a full defensive possession will be.
Indiana’s weakness revealed by Baylor ahead of 2025-26 season
“The area you saw today that we got to improve the most is the defensive rebounding,” said DeVries, following Indiana’s 76-74 win over Baylor in an exhibition outing on Sunday. “We are undersized, so we have to really be technical in hitting people. We can’t allow people to just run in there and jump. We’re not winning a lot of those jumping contests. So, that physicality is going to be important.”
To say Baylor dominated Indiana on the glass may be an understatement. The Bears, between their athleticism and sheer effort, controlled the boards to the fullest extent on both ends. They out rebounded the Hoosiers 44 to 25, including 16 on the offensive glass, which they parlayed into 18 second chance points…