Why Samet Yigitoglu Will be Indiana Basketball's Not-so-Secret Weapon

In 2025-26, the sturdiest player in Indiana’s rotation was 240-pound Sam Alexis. The result? Indiana was dominated on the glass. And, not for nothing, the Hoosiers were unable to find success with any sort of consistency in the paint on offense.

Their best post-up options were often either Tucker DeVries or Lamar Wilkerson. Essentially, Indiana was relatively one-dimensional on offense without an interior threat while it was beaten down on the boards on a nightly basis.

Head coach Darian DeVries recognized that – and he made moves to ensure those size-related woes wouldn’t turn into worrisome trends during his tenure in Bloomington.

Darian DeVries on Indiana prioritizing size this offseason

“As you go through Big Ten play, the thing that stood out was just the physicality of the league and the size that you have to have,” said head coach Darian DeVries on ‘The Sideline with Andy Katz’ on Tuesday. “

And we made that, certainly, a priority as we went into the offseason, add some depth there and make sure we have a front line that can match some of that girth and physicality throughout the year.”

Cue Samet Yigitoglu. The hulking 7-foot-2, 270-pound transfer was brought in to answer those problems for the Hoosiers (along with Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell).

How Samet Yigitoglu offers Indiana a new dimension

“He’s just a big guy,” said DeVries to Katz. “He loves it. He loves bringing that physicality. He loves being down in the interior, rebounding. He loves all that stuff. He’s a great screener.

“The thing I’ve liked so far this summer is [that] he’s a great passer. He’s really played well out of some of the high-post action we love to do… I’m excited about him. When he walks through the door, he’s legit. He’s big. 7-foot-2 and plus. Excited to have him with us this year.”

Last season, Alexis was Indiana’s “dirty work” guy. He injected energy in the squad, chased down loose balls, set those hard screens and played with the grit and tenacity necessary to survive in the Big Ten. But at 6-foot-9, that’s all Alexis was able to do – survive.

Yigitoglu, at all of 7-foot-2, gives the Hoosiers a brute force inside the arc. He can do the dirty work – but a whole lot more, too. Not only can he score himself on the interior, but Yigitoglu will serve as a brick wall defensively, ensuring Indiana is never outmatched in the paint – as was so often the case last year.

And if he’s a valuable facilitator out of the high post, Yigitoglu gives the Hoosiers, who will already boast a multi-faceted attack, yet another dimension. To top it off, his screening ability – which DeVries also praised – will pay dividends, freeing up ball-screen savant Markus Burton to wreak all sorts of havoc in the pick-and-roll.

Almost single-handedly, Yigitoglu’s presence solves a variety of problems for Indiana – rebounding, rim-protection, to name a few. But electing to pair him with Sherrell ensures the Hoosiers’ frontcourt isn’t just holding up in the Big Ten, but perhaps even dominating.

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