IU Basketball News and Notes

[Home Jersey]

7 minutes ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

This is concerning to me.  #ballingonabudget.  See how it worked out for Marquette. We are going to need strong contributors off the bat to compete.  And it will be hard keep guys that don’t play.  I guess we will see

I think the main difference with Marquette is Shaka literally didn't go to the portal at all for this team, whereas for us, the majority of the contributors on next year's team have to come from the portal.

If we get 5 guys, and they're the right guys, could be a good team. Hopefully we are aggressive and get some studs. And hopefully Carr can help identify some good value players with multiple years of eligibility. 

[Jeff Flabjohns]

Yea, the cupboard isn’t as bare this time because it couldn’t possibly be.

We can be fine putting 90% of our remaining NIL allotment to five new faces. If you pick the right guys then 3-4 should be serious contributors. Dorn, Miles, Harris, Sisley could all stay, or even 3/4 hopefully. + the incoming freshmen.

We paid a lot this year to dudes who are either underperforming immensely (third of the budget to Tucker + Bailey) or just not contributing at all. 

[Home Jersey]

2 minutes ago, Jeff Flabjohns said:

Yea, the cupboard isn’t as bare this time because it couldn’t possibly be.

We can be fine putting 90% of our remaining NIL allotment to five new faces. If you pick the right guys 3-4 could be serious contributors. Dorn, Miles, Harris, Sisley could all stay, or even 3/4 hopefully. + the incoming freshmen.

We paid a lot this year to dudes who are either underperforming immensely or just not contributing at all. 

Yep, for sure. Not as bare as literally 0 players and a lot of money tied up with seniors not producing as expected. And seems very unlikely we need to set aside much (if any) NIL for retention raises. Maybe Sisley.

I think I saw it posted here somewhere that our Euro guys are actually very low cost. If that's the case, and they're content with the development plan DDV laid out for them, I think they'd be worth retaining. 

We have 3 open spots, so to get to 5, two need to transfer. If the Euros really are cheap enough, you probably free up more NIL parting ways with Drake and Harris. Harris might be able to do something for us when healthy, but who knows. Drake probably isn't making much NIL, but Ristic also has been basically invisible this year. Either way it's probably not much, but every dollar counts.

Very curious how it shakes out but confident that the money can be put to much better use this time around. Hopefully some underclassmen in the mix. 

[HoosierDevils]

I think this article from just earlier today discusses the gaps in the roster that has allowed teams to settle in defensively and make IU's offense really stagnant. It's not just related to athleticism, but also just skills the current roster lacks to get around switching (see: vs. Lindenwood and vs. Incarnate Word).

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/the-red-flags-for-iu-basketballs-offense-showed-up-in-early-season-buy-games/

 

[BGleas]

1 hour ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

This is concerning to me.  #ballingonabudget.  See how it worked out for Marquette. We are going to need strong contributors off the bat to compete.  And it will be hard keep guys that don’t play.  I guess we will see

Yeah, the free agency comparison sounds good in theory, but it is a different mindset. 

We're probably taking Carr's comments on that too literally and seriously. 

But for the sake of discussion, the portal is a bit different. In the NBA you might have the salay cap space to sign one impact free agent every few seasons. You're really supplementing your roster around the edges most years. 

I'm college, the portal needs to be game-changers most every season. You now supplement your roster with high school recruits and land the impact players in the portal. 

[Uspshoosier]

1 hour ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

See how it worked out for Marquette

Smart just flat refused to use the portal at all.    His mindset was build from within and only use high school kids.   Sounds like they are changing their stance on the portal (shocker).  During one of the games I was watching the sideline reporter was reporting that a total shift in how they recruited moving forward was going to change 

[AZ Hoosier]

5 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

This is concerning to me.  #ballingonabudget.  See how it worked out for Marquette. We are going to need strong contributors off the bat to compete.  And it will be hard keep guys that don’t play.  I guess we will see

I don't have an issue with a "moneyball" approach... but we need serviceable talent at all positions, and some depth at a minimum. Paying top dollar for individual pieces that don't mesh or gel into a team is not the answer. We did that for 3 or 4 years with the previous guy. And we definitely need a guy that can coach 'em up. Again, that was lacking previously... and, frankly, I've got some questions about some of the coaching moves this season, as well.

[str8baller]

40 minutes ago, BGleas said:

You now supplement your roster with high school recruits and land the impact players in the portal. 

Purdue, Duke, even Arizona are building through recruiting. Some long term dev like Purdue others with high profile frosh.  It can still be done. We’llprobably be closer to Purdue.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

5 hours ago, str8baller said:

Purdue, Duke, even Arizona are building through recruiting. Some long term dev like Purdue others with high profile frosh.  It can still be done. We’llprobably be closer to Purdue.

I think the Purdue model is likely the ideal plan for Carr and DeVries.  For that to work, you gotta scout, develop, and coach your @$$ off. Painter has proven proficient at all 3.  
 

I don’t hate it. I kinda like it. But DeVries isn’t Painter and we are Indiana and should be able to double the NIL of Purdue allowing us to build something a little different.  Hopefully these smart basketball minds can come together and figure things out. You need 10.  8 Healthy and ready to go. Invest in 8-10 and fill with super low cost back end pieces. It’ll help in team chemistry as well with every player having a piece of the pie.  
 

Even though Carr has my dream job and has 25 years of experience I’m still auditioning for the part and convinced I can help.  lol. 

[DChoosier]

From a USA Today article. Nothing we don’t already know but still depressing:

 

Indiana hasn't reached an Elite Eight since 2002, when the Hoosiers upset top-ranked Duke in the Sweet 16 en route to a national championship game loss to Maryland.

Since that run, 60 teams (SIXTY!) have reached at least one Elite Eight, including the likes of St. Peter's, Florida Atlantic, George Mason, Loyola Chicago, VCU, Dayton, St. Joseph's and Davidson.

[TheWatShot]

On 2/26/2026 at 1:47 PM, BGleas said:

I'm college, the portal needs to be game-changers most every season. You now supplement your roster with high school recruits and land the impact players in the portal. 

I'm probably stuck in the past on this one, but I can't get behind this. Look what relying on the portal has done to our program. We have no identity, no leadership and no foundation anymore, and when you don't have those things, you get losses like we had the other night. 

 

Honestly don't know what the best approach is for us. Not sure anyone does. 

[BGleas]

14 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

I'm probably stuck in the past on this one, but I can't get behind this. Look what relying on the portal has done to our program. We have no identity, no leadership and no foundation anymore, and when you don't have those things, you get losses like we had the other night. 

 

Honestly don't know what the best approach is for us. Not sure anyone does. 

I don't disagree with you. Identity and culture are as important as anything IMO, and you develop that through players being in your program for 3-4 years. 

Completely agree. 

The flip side is, coaches don't have the luxury in this day and age to slow build for 4-5 years while they restock with freshman each year. 

Unfortunately for DeVries, he had to completely start from scratch so had to build with portal guys. 

Next year we should have 4-6 returners, along with 3 freshman, which is a solid base, but we'll still need our best players next year to be from the portal. 

[str8baller]

2 hours ago, DChoosier said:

From a USA Today article. Nothing we don’t already know but still depressing:

 

Indiana hasn't reached an Elite Eight since 2002, when the Hoosiers upset top-ranked Duke in the Sweet 16 en route to a national championship game loss to Maryland.

Since that run, 60 teams (SIXTY!) have reached at least one Elite Eight, including the likes of St. Peter's, Florida Atlantic, George Mason, Loyola Chicago, VCU, Dayton, St. Joseph's and Davidson.

I saw that stat the other day. Sometimes I try and contextualize our ineptitude because it’s easy to forget. It’s also depressing. 
 

Another one of my favorites is to go online and see what UCLA or Arizona (better this year) fans think of their current drought and complain about how long their drought is. Both schools have been way more successful than IU. People think our fans are crazy. I tend to think we’re docile and more patient than most. 

[str8baller]

3 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Unfortunately for DeVries, he had to completely start from scratch so had to build with portal guys. 

I think you mean fortunately. I can’t imagine a coach in the old days coming in to take over last years roster and having to build through recruiting and slowly turning this battleship around. 
 

The portal is a godsend to programs in our position. Devries just screwed the pooch in year 1. 

[BGleas]

5 minutes ago, str8baller said:

I think you mean fortunately. I can’t imagine a coach in the old days coming in to take over last years roster and having to build through recruiting and slowly turning this battleship around. 
 

The portal is a godsend to programs in our position. Devries just screwed the pooch in year 1. 

I didn't mean I wanted last year's guys back specifically. Just meant generally you'd prefer to walk into a situation where you don't have to start completely from scratch. 

That's not an ideal situation. 

[Pagoda]

30 minutes ago, str8baller said:

Another one of my favorites is to go online and see what UCLA or Arizona (better this year) fans think of their current drought and complain about how long their drought is. Both schools have been way more successful than IU. People think our fans are crazy. I tend to think we’re docile and more patient than most. 

100%.

Give another basketball school our last 25 years of results and see how many tickets they sell.  Almost all of them would be less than us, most would be a lot less.  We've been substantially worse than any other basketball school I can think of*.

* Arkansas could be an example of a similar fall off, if you want to count them.

[HoosierHoopster]

22 hours ago, BGleas said:

I didn't mean I wanted last year's guys back specifically. Just meant generally you'd prefer to walk into a situation where you don't have to start completely from scratch. 

That's not an ideal situation. 

Yeah, next season is when we’ll see what DeVries and staff (which wasn’t in place last season) can do. Some returning players (though no stars), some pretty decent incoming frosh, opportunity to bring in key portal players. Hope he can salvage this season, making the tournament is a part of landing the more elite portal guys

[str8baller]

On 2/28/2026 at 12:39 PM, BGleas said:

Just meant generally you'd prefer to walk into a situation where you don't have to start completely from scratch. 

I’m not sure that exists anymore. Maybe you get a player or two to stay. Most of the guys in the last two years have built entirely new rosters from scratch. 

[WayneFleekHoosier]

1 hour ago, str8baller said:

I’m not sure that exists anymore. Maybe you get a player or two to stay. Most of the guys in the last two years have built entirely new rosters from scratch. 

Yeah, really just excuses amongst excuses.  Building from scratch can be a good thing.  Too bad we didn’t focus on getting 9 great players. And some athletes that match the level.  Didn’t need 13 plus.