Indiana Is Loading Up in the Portal and It's Not Even Close

The college basketball transfer portal deadline hit on April 21, and Indiana just made a statement. While five of USA TODAY's top six portal prospects are still unsigned, the Hoosiers have already assembled the most impressive haul so far this offseason, pulling in six players who are about to transform Darian DeVries' roster.

Indiana's Portal Haul Is Stacked

Let's break down what the Hoosiers just landed: center Aiden Sherrell from Alabama, center Samet Yigitoglu from SMU, point guard Markus Burton from Notre Dame, shooting guard Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, small forward Darren Harris from Duke, and shooting guard Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech. That's 66.3 points per game, 24.1 rebounds, 11.3 assists, shooting 47.7% from the field and 34.9% from three, with 245 career starts combined. This is a serious group.

Three of those guys rank in USA TODAY's top 40 portal players overall: Sherrell at No. 13, Burton at No. 21, and Yigitoglu at No. 39. Indiana wasn't messing around.

Why Indiana Had to Go All In

Here's the thing: DeVries' first season was a disaster. The Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament again, and only freshman Trent Sisley is returning. The front office basically decided that spending heavy in the portal is way cheaper than buying out another coaching contract. They brought in Ryan Carr from the Pacers front office to orchestrate the rebuild, and it's working.

This class has everything Indiana needs: a legitimate point guard, multiple big men, wing depth, and crucially, players with multiple years of eligibility left. Translation: they won't have to blow it all up again next year.

Tennessee and Louisville Right Behind

Tennessee came in second with five solid portal adds, bringing in 75 points per game and 256 career starts. Rick Barnes is basically replacing his entire top six scorers from last season (assuming star freshman Nate Ament declares for the NBA Draft), and the Vols addressed it smartly with point guard Dai Dai Ames, small forward Jalen Haralson, and a pair of shooting guards in Tyler Lundblade and Terrence Hill Jr.

Louisville landed at No. 3, headlined by center Flory Bidunga, USA TODAY's No. 2 ranked portal player overall. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year averaged 2.6 blocks per game and completely changes the Cardinals' defensive identity.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.