4 Takeaways From Indiana Basketball's Big Ten Media Day: Size, Depth And More

Indiana basketball head coach Darian DeVries, guard Markus Burton and forward Aiden Sherrell represented the Hoosiers at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday in Rosemont, Illinois.

With DeVries entering his second season in Bloomington and Indiana preparing for Sunday's exhibition against Butler, here are four takeaways from what the Hoosiers had to say on Thursday.

Indiana finally has the frontcourt size and depth it needs

Indiana's frontcourt needed more than a talent upgrade this offseason. It needed more bodies, and bigger ones.

The Hoosiers learned last season that having just two big men wasn't enough, particularly when neither stood taller than 6-foot-10. With college basketball increasingly favoring teams that combine size with skill, DeVries needed to rethink his approach to roster construction.

Enter 7-foot Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell and 7-foot-2 SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu, who join returning forward Sam Alexis to give Indiana three experienced frontcourt options, assuming Alexis remains eligible.

We were able to get big, especially at the four and five," DeVries said Thursday. "And with Aiden, he still has the skill to give us the spacing that we love, too."

That's an important distinction. Sherrell's ability to operate away from the basket should allow Indiana to play two seven-footers together without completely sacrificing offensive spacing.

For a team that finished 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, the additional size and depth could make an immediate difference.

Indiana expects to have more ways to win offensively

By the end of last season, it often felt like Indiana's only path to victory involved Lamar Wilkerson putting together another spectacular scoring performance, which he did quite often.

Wilkerson averaged 20.9 points per game, but when his shots weren't falling, the Hoosiers frequently struggled to generate enough offense elsewhere.

DeVries believes this year's roster offers more solutions.

"What I'm excited about with this roster is there's just a lot more versatility, a lot more depth, where one night it could be one of seven guys to go get 20," DeVries said. "You have to be able to have multiple guys [with] different ways to score. I feel like we have that."

Notre Dame transfer Markus Burton gives Indiana an established scorer capable of creating his own shot. Sherrell adds another dimension in the frontcourt, while Bryce Lindsay, Jaeden Mustaf and Darren Harris provide perimeter options.

Having several potential scorers on paper doesn't guarantee a balanced offense. But off nights are inevitable, even for the best players.

Unlike last season, when Indiana often needed Wilkerson to carry the offense, DeVries believes his team has enough alternatives to survive when its leading options struggle.

Darren Harris could be Indiana's biggest offensive wild card

Few Indiana newcomers have a wider range of potential outcomes than the Duke transfer Harris.

Once regarded as one of the country's top high school shooters, Harris connected on just 30.8% of his 3-point attempts during two seasons at Duke while playing limited minutes.

DeVries, however, has been impressed with his shooting throughout offseason workouts.

"Summertime and fall, he shot it at an incredibly high rate," DeVries said.

DeVries has even given Harris what he described as the "ultimate green light" to shoot.

That's an encouraging endorsement, but Harris faces a different challenge now. Producing efficiently with a substantially larger offensive role isn't the same as thriving in limited opportunities.

If Harris can handle that increased responsibility without sacrificing efficiency, Indiana could have another dangerous perimeter weapon on its hands.

Year 2 brings more comfort for Darian DeVries

DeVries didn't have the benefit of a full offseason when he assembled his first Indiana roster. This time, he had an entire year to identify what changes needed to be made.

"Year 2 is just such a different feel," DeVries said. "You have your feet under you. You've had a full year to prepare and get ready."

That familiarity matters, particularly after Indiana missed the NCAA Tournament in his first season.

Still, the Hoosiers are integrating 11 newcomers, leaving plenty of questions about how quickly the pieces will fit together.

Burton emphasized toughness and togetherness as the coaching staff's priorities, while Sherrell described a daily emphasis on building results on the court, beginning with Sunday's exhibition against Butler.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/indiana as 4 Takeaways From Indiana Basketball's Big Ten Media Day: Size, Depth and More.

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