On Tuesday, five-star 2027 center Darius Wabbington committed to Indiana. He chose the Hoosiers over Illinois and Arizona. He became the first five-star prospect to pledge to the program since 2023 (Mackenzie Mgbako).
Wabbington's commitment marked the biggest recruiting win of the Darian DeVries tenure. With his one-of-a-kind offensive versatility, Wabbington will perhaps be the cornerstone of Indiana's offensive attack as soon as he arrives on campus.
The only question: how will he be implemented into an already-crowded Indiana frontcourt (that is, if the Hoosiers can retain the key members of that position group for another year)? Here is our way-too-early 2027-28 projected starting lineup with Wabbington in the mix:
Early projection of Indiana basketball's 2027-28 starting lineup with Darius Wabbington
Point Guard: Markus Burton
Markus Burton, a Notre Dame transfer, is the surefire projected lead guard for the Hoosiers entering 2026-27. He can do it all from a scoring and facilitating standpoint, and, despite being undersized, Burton is a plus defender.
Again, if – and it's always an if in this era – DeVries and Co. can get Burton to run it back in 2027-28, there wouldn't be a question of who is owning this spot.
Shooting Guard: Prince-Alexander Moody
Ahead of this season, Prince-Alexander Moody, a freshman, isn't viewed as a starter. He'll have to battle in a tight backcourt room, namely against Bryce Lindsay and Darren Harris.
But expect Moody, who has already shown glimpses of stardom, to develop throughout his freshman year and eventually take over the starting backcourt reins alongside Burton come 2027-28.
Small Forward: Vaughn Karvala
Another freshman, Vaughn Karvala also won't find himself in the first five early in the 2026-27 campaign – and likely not at all. But the expectation is for Karvala to play a key role.
And after a strong freshman campaign paired with an excellent 2027 summer – which we expect – it wouldn't be a shock to find him in the starting lineup in his sophomore season.
Power Forward: Darius Wabbington
This one isn't up for debate. Wabbington is that good. He's going to come into Bloomington and not just be a Day 1 starter, but likely the engine of the offense.
His ultra-diverse skill set will allow the Hoosiers to attack defenses in so many ways. Wabbington can be a physical, interior-oriented player next to Aiden Sherrell in the paint, a floor-spacer on another and an action-initiator from the perimeter on a different occasion.
Center: Aiden Sherell
The 2026-27 frontcourt of Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu is going to be spectacular. But a Wabbington-Sherrell combo would be otherworldly. Sherrell isn't as versatile as Wabbington, but he's far from a one-trick pony.
The pair could brutalize undersized frontcourts around the rim, hunt mismatches against slow-footed bigs or both step beyond the arc and give Indiana five-out spacing.
Defensively, Sherrell is an elite rim protector and agile enough to survive in most matchups. Wabbington isn't as potent on that end, but his combination of size, length, intelligence and enough athleticism points to huge upside.
If Indiana can keep Sherrell around for the 2027-28 season, it'll have one of the best frontcourts in the country – and very likely the toughest to prepare for.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/indiana as Projecting Indiana Basketball's 2027-28 Starting Lineup With Darius Wabbington.