What to watch for in IU basketball’s exhibition on Wednesday night

Darian DeVries watches an IU practice.

IU basketball will host Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for an exhibition game.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and tickets are available at this link. The game will not be televised, streamed or broadcast on the radio.

Here’s what to watch for as the Hoosiers take the floor in a tune-up for the FISU America Games:

The Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu pairing in the frontcourt

This will be the only opportunity to see Sherrell and Yigitoglu on the floor together this summer, as Yigitoglu, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, is not eligible to play in the FISU America Games because he is not an American citizen.

In IU’s three practices open to the media this summer, the pair has been comfortable on the floor together.

Sherrell is expected to be the starter at the four for the Hoosiers, a position he played frequently in high school before primarily playing the five at Alabama the last two seasons. The 2024 McDonald’s All-American is capable of stepping out to the perimeter and making 3-pointers and is also a lob threat rolling to the rim.

“Aiden Sherrell has shot the ball incredibly well here throughout the summer so far,” Darian DeVries told Andy Katz recently. “So, it gives us a lot of different ways that we can stretch the floor.”

Yigitoglu moves very well for his size – he’s a legit 7-foot-2 – and has shown himself to be a solid passer from the perimeter. He will also generate some easy scoring opportunities from offensive rebounds.

“He loves being down in the interior rebounding. He loves all that stuff. He’s a great screener,” DeVries said of Yigitoglu. “The thing I’ve liked so far this summer is he’s a great passer. And he’s really played well out of some of the high-post action we love to do on top of it. So, I’m excited about him. And when he walks through the door, he’s legit. He’s big. 7-2 plus. So, I’m excited to have him with us this year.”

Markus Burton takes the floor as IU’s new point guard

The starter at point guard for the last three seasons at Notre Dame, Burton is one of the Hoosiers’ prized additions from the transfer portal.

Burton missed most of last season with a foot injury that required surgery but has been a full participant in practices this summer.

On Wednesday, he’ll take the floor for the first time as IU’s starting point guard.

“I think Markus has been incredible in just his leadership and the energy he brings every day,” DeVries said. “He’s excited to be healthy. So, it’s been fun to watch him. We’ve limited him a little bit, just out of precaution, as he’s coming back. But overall, he’s looked really sharp and gotten better and better each week as he’s gotten back into the flow of things.”

For Burton, one thing to watch is how he balances scoring and distributing.

“Just reading the game, playing the game, taking what the defense gives you, not overthinking it, playing off your skills,” Burton said earlier this summer about the challenge of balancing those two facets of his game. “So if I’m a scorer, score the ball, but if they stop you, then that’s the time to find teammates. But it’s very easy to balance it once you know what you’re doing and once you pick your spots, you know who to get involved and stuff like that.”

The perimeter shooting for IU’s new look guard and wing rotation

One constant for the Hoosiers offensively last season was perimeter shooting.

Indiana scored 37.7 percent of its points in the 2025-26 season on 3-pointers, the 35th highest percentage nationally. Over half of the team’s field goal attempts – 50.5 percent – were from the perimeter.

There’s no expectation that IU will be as dependent on 3-pointers next winter, but perimeter shooting will still be a big part of the offensive game plan.

So who will fill the void?

IU is hopeful that Darren Harris, a transfer from Duke, and Bryce Lindsay, a transfer from Villanova, will both be impact 3-point shooters.

Harris, one of the top shooters in the country out of high school in the 2024 class, will earn more regular minutes than he did in his first two college seasons in Durham. And Lindsay, who is at his fourth school in four seasons, has made 167 triples over 72 career games and is a 37.7 percent shooter from distance.

Georgia Tech transfer Jaeden Mustaf also shot 38.9 percent on 3s last season on limited attempts and Sherrell can also step out to the perimeter.

“I like this group’s shooting,” DeVries said recently. “I think we have great depth there as well. I think Darren Harris has looked really good in our workouts so far this summer. He’s done a lot of things similar to Lamar (Wilkerson) in our workouts. So, that’s exciting because we all know how Lamar could fill it up. Markus can shoot it. Bryce can shoot it. Jaeden Mustaf has shot it very well. Our freshmen have been shooting it.

“And then Aiden Sherrell has shot the ball incredibly well here throughout the summer so far. So, it gives us a lot of different ways that we can stretch the floor.”

A first look at the three freshmen

Three of IU’s four freshmen for the 2026-27 season should get their first chance to play in Assembly Hall on Wednesday night.

Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala and Trevor Manhertz are gaining valuable experience and practice time this summer as the Hoosiers prepare for their trip to Peru.

If IU handles Wednesday’s opponent easily, it could be an opportunity for each of the freshmen to log extended minutes.

In the three open practices this summer, Moody looks to be the most ready of the freshman class. A combo guard with the most college-ready body of the trio, the 6-foot-4 guard has a chance to earn a rotation spot as a backup guard.

“I gotta get stronger (physically),” Moody said recently. “Mentally, I gotta get stronger. Physically, I gotta get stronger. And I think that’s just gonna be the main part because basketball is 95 percent mental. So at the end of the day, mentally, if I’m ready, then I think I’ll be on the court.”

Karvala has also shown flashes of his potential as a perimeter shooter and is a capable finisher above the rim due to his athleticism. Manhertz has been most effective so far as a spot-up shooter.

“We got some young guys, too, some young freshmen that we’re really excited about,” DeVries said recently of the trio.

IU’s fourth freshman, Clemens Sokolov, was not yet on campus as of last week’s open practice.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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