With a completely new roster and multiple injuries, Indiana is still finding itself before the regular season begins next week. But there is one clear expectation: The team Darian DeVries brought in for his first season as the Hoosiers’ coach is built to excel offensively.

DeVries reeled in transfers like Sam Houston’s Lamar Wilkerson (20.2 ppg in 2024-25), Davidson’s Reed Bailey (18.8) and his son, Tucker DeVries (17.7 ppg in his career). Although there are concerns about athleticism and size, DeVries clearly targeted players who can put the ball in the hoop.

Yet early in the season, Indiana’s defense could be ahead of its offense.

No one on this team besides Tucker DeVries and Conor Enright — who shared the floor at Drake from 2022-24 — has played under DeVries yet. None of the scholarship players on this team were at Indiana last year, which means synergizing on offense hasn’t been easy. Add that with injuries to Nick Dorn, Jason Drake, Aleksa Ristic and Josh Harris, and it makes sense that Indiana hasn’t found a consistent offensive rhythm. 

In Indiana’s 76-74 exhibition win over Baylor on Sunday, it shot just 44% from the field and struggled to create scoring opportunities in the halfcourt. The Hoosiers overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to win the exhibition thanks to their defense.

DeVries has spent the last month applauding Indiana’s defensive improvements. He said the team’s defensive identity has “really come a long ways,” which showed against Baylor. The Bears shot just 40% from the field overall and just 29% in the second half.

“I think defensively, we have a chance to be really good on first-shot opportunities,” DeVries said. “We’ve got some guys that are really committed to it, they understand, they communicate well.”

To make up for a lack of size (Bailey, who stands 6-10, is Indiana’s tallest player), Indiana plays aggressive defense. The guards pressure the ball, and players not guarding the ball pack the paint and shrink the floor. That led to 16 Baylor turnovers, half of which came off Indiana steals.

Enright and Troy transfer Tayton Conerway had three steals each for the Hoosiers. They are two of the only Hoosiers whose reputations are tied to defense rather than offense. Conerway was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season, in part because he led the conference with 2.9 steals per game. Enright is known as a defensive pest, and he typically guarded the other team’s best player at DePaul last season.

DeVries said he hasn’t given this team many rules defensively, which frees up players like Enright and Conerway to attack. This defensive aggressiveness could lead to a lot of high-turnover performances for Indiana’s opponents.

“We know we’re smaller guys, we know what our role is,” Conerway said about himself and  Enright on Oct. 24. “And we know that if we can mess up that offense before they cross halfcourt, that they’re gonna struggle to put that ball in the net. So, definitely (Enright) and me being able to change out so it keeps fresh legs in there, that’s gonna be trouble for a lot of these point guards.” 

Four of the turnovers Indiana forced were offensive fouls called on Baylor. Enright — who drew one of those charge calls — is known for drawing charges, and it’s become contagious with the rest of the team.

“I think it's pretty important, because it spreads,” Enright said of drawing charges at Indiana’s media day on Sept. 30. “Other guys will put their body in the line if you're doing the same, and I think it really shows just how hard a team can play and how they're willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

While the Hoosiers displayed intense defensive effort in the exhibition, their size and athleticism shortcomings still showed. Baylor got offensive rebounds on 16 of its 36 misses. That led to 18 second-chance points, nearly a quarter of its total.

Indiana often played solid defense but failed to close possessions. DeVries realizes that rebounding is where this team must improve the most, and that winning the rebound battle will be an uphill climb.

“We are undersized, so we have to really be technical in hitting people,” DeVries said. “We can't allow people to just run in there and jump. We're not winning a lot of those jumping contests.”

Indiana’s lack of outstanding athletes also showed in the foul department. A downside of Indiana’s hyper-aggressive defensive approach is that it can lead to fouls. The Hoosiers committed 22 of them against Baylor, and Conerway and Wilkerson would’ve fouled out in a game that counted (foul-outs don’t exist in exhibitions).

The Hoosiers, for all intents and purposes, played a rotation of only seven players on Sunday (North Florida transfer Jasai Miles played just one minute). Until they get healthier, they can’t afford to have multiple players in foul trouble in a game. Enright and Sam Alexis also had four fouls each.

“We can't just let people stay in a game from the free throw line,” DeVries said. “And we can't have guys that we need on the floor sitting over by me. So that is one of the things that we’ve got to continue to clean up. But I do like the fact that we are being physical as opposed to maybe we didn't foul, but we had no physicality, no toughness to us.”

Indiana’s defense isn’t flawless, but it appears to be better than expected going into the season. As the Hoosiers create more chemistry and reintegrate players back in the rotation, their defense may be the steadying force.