Two Shocking Stats Show How Indiana Basketball Has Changed Under Darian DeVries

The Darian DeVries era is off to an intriguing start, especially on the offensive end.

Going 3-0 against Alabama A&M, Marquette and Milwuakee, the Hoosiers have scored at least 98 points in each game with effective 3-point shooting and ball movement. Things will certainly get more difficult against tougher nonconference opponents and in Big Ten play, but the style of basketball has been a welcomed change.

Two stats in particular display just that.

1. IU has made 10+ 3-pointers in three straight games for first time since 2016-17

Indiana opened the season going 10-for-24 (41.7%) from 3-point range in a 98-51 win over Alabama A&M. The Hoosiers followed that up by running Marquette off the court with 14-for-28 (50%) 3-point shooting in a 100-77 victory. And they secured a 101-70 win Wednesday night by shooting 14-for-28 from beyond the arc in a second straight game.

That comes out to 38-for-80 on the season, or 47.5%. From a percentage standpoint, that puts the Hoosiers seventh nationally out of 365 teams. Indiana is also tied for 16th in total 3-pointers made and tied for 121st in total 3-point attempts.

Lamar Wilkerson Indiana Basketball — Indiana Hoosiers guard Lamar Wilkerson (3) celebrates a 3-pointer against the Milwaukee Panthers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Lamar Wilkerson leads the way with 15-of-26 (57.7%) 3-pointers made, followed by Tucker DeVries at 12-for-22 (54.5%). They've provided the bulk of Indiana's 3-point shooting, but seven other Hoosiers have made at least one 3-pointer and have combined to go 11-for-32 (34.3%) from deep.

The last time Indiana made 10 or more 3-pointers in three consecutive games was the 2016-17 season under Tom Crean. During that stretch, the Hoosiers went 37-for-77 (48%) in wins over Delaware State, Austin Peay and Nebraska from Dec. 19-28, 2016. It was their only three-game streak with 10-plus 3-pointers made that season.

It's a drastic shift from Indiana's time under former head coaches Archie Miller and Mike Woodson.

Archie Miller's teams	3-PT FG (rank)	3-PT Attempts (rank)	3-PT % (rank)
2020-21	158 (214th)	488 (208th)	32.4% (242nd)
2019-20	176 (312th)	540 (321st)	32.6% (219th)
2018-19	211 (286th)	676 (243rd)	31.2% (317th)
2017-18	194 (311th)	602 (292nd)	32.2% (316th)

Mike Woodson's teams	3-PT FG (rank)	3-PT Attempts (rank)	3-PT % (rank)
2024-25	203 (323rd)	632 (319th)	32.1% (288th)
2023-24	166 (344th)	513 (349th)	32.4% (271st)
2022-23	200 (300th)	544 (341st)	36.8% (46th)
2021-22	206 (264th)	619 (273rd)	33.3% (209th)

2. Indiana has assisted on 73 of its 103 made field goals

A big reason for Indiana's massive uptick in 3-point shooting is improved ball movement and a low turnover rate.

The Hoosiers rank third nationally with 24.3 assists per game, while turning the ball over just 8.7 times, or 19th fewest in the country. The +15.6 assist-to-turnover ratio also ranks third. That's led to 99.7 points per game, 16th most in Division I.

Indiana ranked 49th nationally in assist rate during Miller's final season, but they were 207th, 210th and 135th in his previous three. Under Woodson, Indiana ranked 56th, 108th, 50th and 51st nationally in assist rate across his four seasons.

It's been a group effort for DeVries' Hoosiers, too. Tayton Conerway leads the team with 6.3 assists per game, followed by Conor Enright and Lamar Wilkerson each with 4.0 assists per game, along with Reed Bailey and Tucker DeVries at 2.7. The Hoosiers also have five players averaging 10-plus points, spread between Wilkerson (22.0), DeVries (19.0), Bailey (13.3), Conerway (13.0) and Sam Alexis (11.0).

Tayton Conerway Indiana Basketball — Indiana's Tayton Conerway (6) drives against Milwaukee at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | RIch Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even more impressive, Indiana is made up of 10 transfers and one freshman. Despite little experience playing together in DeVries' system, they already seem to have chemistry and an understanding of the offense. That's led to the 13th ranked offensive efficiency, per KenPom.

"I just think they're getting the right type of shots," DeVries said. "I think guys do a great job understanding how to get shooters open. They have a really good understanding of when to deliver it. Their timing there has been good."

"And because we're getting enough movement outside of all the different areas on the floor, we're able to kind of create some things and put defenses in some tough spots, whether it's in pick and roll or back cuts. You know, if the help comes from somewhere our guys do all really good job reading it. If it's not there, that means somebody else is probably open, and that's where a lot of those threes come from."

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