Hopeful Hoosier

When Darian DeVries took the job, the thing I hoped for most wasn’t instant wins. It was growth.

I wanted to see a staff that could teach. Develop. Help a team look different in February than it did in November.

And right now? I think we’re seeing exactly that.

This Indiana team is better than the one that lost to Kentucky and Louisville. Better than the group that hit that four-game skid against a brutal stretch of opponents — three of those teams now sitting in the AP Top 10. Back then, some folks were calling this a bottom-of-the-Big-Ten team.

Now look up.

Three straight wins. Two on the road. A home win over No. 12 Purdue. 6–5 in the league. Very much in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

That’s not luck. That’s progress. And you can see it in the people.

Reed Bailey looks like a different player than he did in November — playing stronger and more physical, finishing through contact. He was critical in the Purdue and UCLA wins. Early in the year, you wondered if he was ready for this level. Now he looks like he belongs.

Conor Enright, who some fans weren’t sure could even compete in the Big Ten, has become indispensable — defending, organizing, diving on the floor, making the smart play late. He might be my favorite Hoosier right now just because of how hard he plays. He squeezes every ounce out of what he has.

Tucker DeVries is finding his way, too. The scoring hasn’t always come easy against these long, athletic wings, but he’s figured out how to impact games anyway — rebounding, facilitating, making winning plays. Some nights he scores. Some nights, he connects everything. Either way, he plays smart and tough.

And Lamar Wilkerson has just been a bucket. Outside. Inside. Drives when legs are gone. Sure, there are mistakes — that comes with usage — but he keeps coming back for the next play. He’s the kind of player you wish you had for three years, not one.

Even the things we worried about? They’re improving.

For all the talk about Indiana being undersized, they’re holding their own on the glass most nights. The defense keeps them in games even when the offense sputters. And you can tell they’re cleaning up the small habits — fewer unnecessary fouls, better possessions, smarter decisions late.

That’s coaching. That’s teaching. That’s a team learning how to win.

Last night at Pauley Pavilion, it nearly slipped away. Ten-point lead gone. Players fouling out. Double overtime. Every chance to fold.

They didn’t. They just kept playing.

But here’s the part I’ll be watching the rest of the year. Growth doesn’t stop here.

In both the Purdue and UCLA wins, Indiana had trouble putting the game away. Leads shrank. Doors stayed open. Good teams made late runs.

Closing games — protecting leads, finishing possessions, executing calmly — is the next step for this group. And I think they’ll get there.

Getting Tayton Conerway back will be part of that, too. When he returns, the staff will have to figure out how to keep featuring Nick Dorn’s shooting while also unleashing Conerway’s downhill drives and pace. That’s the kind of adjustment good coaching staffs make as the season evolves.

It won’t be perfect. There will still be rough nights.

But this much feels clear: This team isn’t the same team it was a month ago. It’s tougher. More connected. More ready.

And honestly, seeing a group improve in real time might be the most encouraging sign of all. Because when a team keeps getting better, the rest tends to take care of itself.