IU basketball transfer portal spotlight: Samet Yigitoglu

SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu

IU basketball has added seven players this spring from the transfer portal. Player by player, we’ll take a look at each addition in our “transfer portal spotlight” series.

Today: Samet Yigitoglu

Previously: Jaeden Mustaf, Darren Harris, Markus Burton

Bio: 7-foot-2, 270-pound center from Istanbul, Turkey

Previous school: SMU (2024-2026, two seasons)

Career stats: 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocked shots in 26.7 minutes per game over two seasons. Yigitoglu is a career 58.3 percent shooter from the field and a 53.1 percent free-throw shooter.

Notable statistics: Yigitoglu is an elite offensive rebounder who ranked 44th nationally last season with an offensive rebounding percentage of 14.4. In ACC games, his offensive rebounding percentage of 15.4 ranked first in the league. He has 10 career double-doubles and seven games with three or more blocked shots.

Recruitment background

After reaching the NCAA tournament last season under Andy Enfield last spring in his second season at SMU, Yigitoglu entered the transfer portal.

While many of the names linked to Indiana early in the portal cycle were public, the program’s pursuit of Yigitoglu flew under the radar and he committed before setting foot on campus during a whirlwind week that featured a total of six commitments. He was the first frontcourt player to commit to Darian DeVries in the portal cycle as he pledged on Tuesday, April 14, one day before Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell.

As things currently stand, the 22-year-old has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is entering his junior season. However, if a proposed “5-in-5” rule change is enacted this summer, Yigitoglu could have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Notes on his game

After a 2025-26 season where Indiana was often overmatched in the post, the Hoosiers now have one of the biggest players in the country with the addition of Yigitoglu.

His overall field goal percentage over his two seasons at SMU was 58.3, but he took a major step forward in efficiency last season. Yigitoglu shot 63 percent last season for the Mustangs. He also had a solid free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) – 42.8 percent in ACC games – but is a poor free-throw shooter. After shooting 56.5 percent from the line as a freshman, he shot only 49.5 percent from the stripe last season as a sophomore in 107 attempts. That could be an issue in late-game situations, as opponents may seek out fouls on Yigitoglu to force him to convert at the line.

His rebounding is a clear strength, particularly on the offensive end. Indiana didn’t prioritize offensive rebounding last season, but Yigitoglu’s sheer size and ability to reach loose balls should lead to easy putbacks and extra offensive opportunities. He’ll also be a deterrent at the rim and is a good, but not great, shot blocker. He’s also a solid passer, with 10 games of three or more assists.

Foul trouble has also been an issue for Yigitoglu, who fouled out in five of SMU’s final 10 games last season and averaged 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes last season, per KenPom.com. If he can stay on the floor, Yigitoglu should be able to handle close to 30 minutes per game after averaging 28.9 per game last season at SMU.

“Samet, he’s a big, big guy and he’s not afraid of knowing that he’s big either,” DeVries said of Yigitoglu earlier this month. “Like, he knows what he is and he likes it. When he sets a screen, people are going to feel that. He can play in short roll. He can play in the post. He’s great at duck-ins.

“He just gives you that physical presence and I think the two of them together is going to be something that’s going to be a lot of fun for us as we go through the summer workouts and stuff of finding new ways to utilize both of them when they’re out there together.”

Scouting report

“The 22-year-old Turkish center is a mountain of a man. He’s an old-school post player, who does his best work sealing deep. He can score over either shoulder and knows how to use his big body to create easy passing angles for his teammates. He is heavy-footed and has to play in drop coverage in pick-and-roll. When he does get the ball down low, sometimes it takes him a tick to gather himself and go up.

“He does have good hands and is an excellent offensive rebounder. He can also pass out of the post and plays to his strengths. He is a mostly efficient scorer, making 63 percent of his 2s, although he’s just a career 53.1 percent free-throw shooter. The top comparison at KenPom is Oumar Ballo and that’s a good one. He’ll be a double-digit scorer in most systems, provide some rim protection and offensive rebounding. It has to be the right fit defensively, but his combination of size and low-post scoring is intriguing.” – The Athletic

“Yigitoglu has been one of the more consistent big men in the ACC over the past two seasons. He averaged double-figure scoring both years but improved his efficiency (63% from the field) and rebounding (7.9 RPG) this season. He scored in double figures in eight of his final nine regular-season games, missing a total of 19 shots during that stretch.” – Jeff Borzello, ESPN.com

Samet Yigitoglu highlights

Samet Yigitoglu shot chart

(Photo credit: SMU Athletics)

See More: Commentary, Samet Yigitoglu