New Look Indiana Shows Early Signs of Improvement Against Team Canada

Indiana Hoosiers fans got their first live look at the 2026-27 version of Darian DeVries team as they represented Team USA in an exhibition tune-up against Canada in the FISU America Games.

Team USA defeated Canada 98-64. It's just an exhibition game in July, but there was plenty to take away.

Roster Has the Look of a Big Ten Team

The most noticeable difference on Wednesday was the physical look of this Hoosiers squad. They look like a team that plays in the Big Ten. Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu bring size and rim protection that IU lacked last season. Sherrell blocked three shots and grabbed six rebounds.

Yigitoglu gave them more of a chance on the glass as he finished with six points and five rebounds in 21:48. Yigitoglu will not play for Team USA in the FISU America Games that count.

Prince-Alexander Moody Shows Instictive Basketball

One of the players who stood out the most was true freshman Price-Alexander Moody. He drew big ovations from the crowd for his effort on defense.

He broke up several set plays and caused turnovers in the first half. Moody had five steals, three rebounds and three assists. He finished shooting 5-11 from the field with 13 points. Moody was 3-7 from three-point range.

Three-Point Shooting Looks Like It's July

It is July and Team USA's three-point shooting looked like it. DeVries' squad fired up 40 three-pointers, but only hit 11, good for an ice-cold 27.5 percent.

Darren Harris and Moody both went 3-of-7 from deep, and Sherrell was 2-of-5. Bryce Lindsay shot just 1-of-6, and Trevor Manhertz hit 2-of-7.

DeVries offense thrives when the three-point shot is falling more often, but it was a good sign to see Sherrell be a threat to shoot it from the outside while playing two bigs.

Early Defensive Commication Lacking

It is no surprise that a team full of transfers and freshmen did not look like a cohesive unit the first few minutes on the floor.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lack of communication led to an early Canadian lead and some easy baskets. However, as the game went on the defense improved. It certainly helped to have Sherrell back there to clean things up.

Mixing and Matching Rotations

Head coach Darian DeVries used the low leverage game to play with his rotations. Team USA started what should be IU's starting lineup in the fall. Darren Harris, Bryce Lindsay, Markus Burton, Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu made up the starting five. Each of them playing between 21 and 25 minutes.

Off the bench, Sisley replaced Samet a number of times. All three true freshmen played with the starters, and played well. The depth of this team will be a major improvement over last year's squad that ran out of gas.

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