IU basketball cruised to an easy 91-57 win in its 2026-27 season opener on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from the victory against the Panthers:
Indiana dominated on the glass
In what Darian DeVries hopes will become a theme this season, Indiana dominated the glass in its season opener.
The Hoosiers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds for an offensive rebounding percentage of 38.2. Indiana had only one game last season with a higher offensive rebounding percentage.
The newfound emphasis on offensive rebounding makes sense given IU’s personnel. The Hoosiers have legitimate frontcourt size, led by 7-foot-2 Samet Yigitoglu and 7-foot Aiden Sherrell.
Yigitoglu had five offensive rebounds on Monday and Sherrell added two.
The Hoosiers outscored the Panthers 15-3 in second-chance points.
Darian DeVries wasn’t happy with IU’s defense at times
Even in an easy 34-point win, things will show up on film that need attention.
Indiana’s defensive intensity was inconsistent. Its inability to keep Eastern Illinois out of the lane at times was also problematic.
The Panthers broke free for far too many wide-open layups and shot 61.1 percent on 2s, too high a percentage.
When the Hoosiers were locked in and engaged, the results were encouraging. Indiana forced a high number of turnovers, limited second-chance opportunities and had three blocked shots. The Panthers scored just .81 points per possession.
But Eastern Illinois got to the rim far too many times for an uncontested look and shot 67 percent at the rim.
“They lived in our paint way too much in the second half,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “We got messed up on some switches and some things we were working on there.”
Markus Burton and Bryce Lindsay provided a one-two scoring punch
Markus Burton, who struggled with foul trouble in the first two exhibition games and then suffered a dislocated finger in the third, turned in the best individual offensive performance on Monday night.
The Notre Dame transfer and South Bend native led the Hoosiers with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-3 from three.
Burton also dished out a team-high five assists in 24 minutes. Fouls – Burton committed four – remain an issue, but it was nonetheless an encouraging performance.
Lindsay, meanwhile, picked up where he left off in exhibition play.
The 6-foot-4 again scored in double figures off the bench, finishing with 14 points in 24 minutes. Lindsay went 3-for-5 from 3 and added two steals.
“To have two guys like that, and they’re both different in how they attack and what they bring on the offensive end, but they’re both incredibly efficient with it,” DeVries said postgame.
“If you need to sub one, you just know there’s not going to be a drop-off. I can put the other one in, and we just keep rolling. Those guys are going to be critically important to us all year.”
Darren Harris continues to struggle from the perimeter
Darren Harris, added from the transfer portal for his perimeter shooting potential, has yet to find his touch.
The 6-foot-5 guard shot 6-for-21 on 3-pointers in exhibition play and was 0-for-3 on 3s in Monday’s season opener.
Harris did get fouled twice on 3-point attempts and made five of his six free throws. He also scored on a transition dunk – two of IU’s 20 fast-break points – and finished with seven points.
Given what IU lost shooting-wise in the offseason, it’ll be important for Harris to shoot well as the competition level increases in the coming weeks.
Right now, defenses are overplaying him on the perimeter, and as a result, he appears to rush shots rather than take them in rhythm.
Overall, Monday was still a solid 3-point shooting night for Indiana. The Hoosiers went 9-for-24 from distance, 37.5 percent.
Indiana will be without Prince-Alexander Moody for “quite some time”
One disappointing development from Monday’s game was the news that Prince-Alexander Moody is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.
Moody, a freshman combo guard and the first player to commit to the Hoosiers in the 2026 recruiting class, was on crutches and wearing a knee brace after suffering an injury in practice.
DeVries briefly addressed the injury at the start of his postgame press conference.
“I know a lot of you are wondering why Prince Moody didn’t play tonight,” DeVries said. “He suffered a knee injury in practice and will be out for an extended period of time. We’ll continue to get him evaluated but don’t anticipate having him back for quite some time, so unfortunate news there.”
While Moody seemed to be on the fringe of the rotation in the exhibition games, this is unfortunate news for a promising young player.
