IU basketball non-conference review: Sam Alexis
- Alex Bozich
- 3h ago
IU basketball has completed the non-conference portion of the schedule and the Hoosiers are 10-3.
Ahead of the restart of Big Ten play against Washington on January 4, we’re taking a player-by-player look at each rotation player on the roster’s performance thus far this season.
Up next: Sam Alexis
Previously: Tayton Conerway, Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries, Reed Bailey, Nick Dorn
Numbers for Alexis through 13 games
A national champion at Florida last season, Alexis transferred to Indiana last spring for his final season of eligibility.
The 6-foot-9 big man has started four of Indiana’s 13 games and is the team’s second leading rebounder with 5.3 per game.
Alexis is averaging 8.2 points in 20 minutes per game while shooting 69.6 percent from the field. The Apopka, Florida, native is 38-for-53 on 2s (71.7 percent) and 1-for-3 on 3-pointers. He is 27-for-33 on free throws, good for 81.8 percent. He also has a team-high 26 offensive rebounds.
What’s gone right for Alexis
The only frontcourt player on the IU roster with a reliable back-to-the-basket game, Alexis has proven a capable post scorer through the non-conference portion of the schedule.
He’s been a solid lob threat for IU’s guards to target and is comfortable catching the ball in the post and making moves to the basket. His instincts in the paint are very good, and he hasn’t tried to force the issue at the rim, resulting in a very strong field goal percentage.
On the glass, he’s the best rebounder on the team and has an offensive rebounding percentage of 12.9, which ranks just outside the top 100 nationally. Although IU doesn’t emphasize crashing the offensive glass, Alexis has been a strong offensive rebounder throughout his four-year career, which began at Chattanooga.
Alexis has also improved his free-throw shooting dramatically this season. Before this season, he was 82-for-159 (51.5) for his career from the line.
He’s also IU’s leading shot blocker, with a block percentage of 5.5 per KenPom.com, and has 14 blocked shots in the first 13 games.
Areas of concern for Alexis
Alexis has been in a rut offensively recently after a very strong start to the season. He scored in double figures in five of IU’s first eight games but hasn’t scored more than eight points over the last five contests.
Indiana will need to carefully manage Alexis’s minutes once the meat of the Big Ten schedule begins. Alexis is best suited to play 20 to 24 minutes per contest, which may be difficult against conference opponents with imposing front lines.
He’s logged just 30 minutes in one game and has also been foul-prone at times, with an average of 4.1 fouls per 40 minutes, per KenPom.com.
Outlook for the rest of the 2025-26 season
Alexis provides a veteran frontcourt presence on an IU roster that lacks depth in the paint. He also seems to be a great locker room guy who always has a smile on his face off the court.
As Indiana’s best and most experienced rebounder, the Hoosiers will need him to have some big performances on the boards to win consistently in Big Ten play.
He’s also a capable post scorer who should be able to reliably provide seven to 10 points per game in most games off lobs, the occasional post-up, free throws or putbacks.
Shot chart for Alexis through 13 games
Shot chart via our friends at UMHoops.com
See More: Commentary, Sam Alexis