Indiana Made 6 Transfer Moves in One Week and Nobody Saw This Coming

Here's the thing about Indiana basketball right now: they went from completely unranked to No. 19 in Gary Parrish's preseason rankings in the span of a few days. That's what happens when you actually show up to the transfer portal fight instead of showing up late with a participation trophy.

The Hoosiers finished Darian DeVries' first season with an 18-14 record and missed the NCAA tournament for the third year running. Not great. But then something shifted. Indiana landed six transfer portal commitments this spring, and suddenly people were paying attention again. Parrish, the longtime CBS Sports guy who updates his rankings religiously, moved Indiana into the top 25 for the first time this offseason on April 17. They landed at No. 19.

The Problem With Being a Blue Blood That Hasn't Won Anything Lately

Look, Parrish himself said it out loud: "It's been a minute since Indiana has accomplished anything notable in men's basketball." The Hoosiers haven't made a Final Four since 2002. Haven't seen a Sweet 16 since 2016. That's rough when you're supposed to be a blue blood.

But DeVries and his staff are working hard and spending big to fix that. They added six players out of the transfer portal, which moved Indiana from unranked straight to No. 19 in Version 7 of the CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 rankings.

The Ranking Already Slipped, But the Work is Real

Yeah, the No. 19 ranking didn't stick. USC and Tennessee made bigger moves and leap frogged Indiana. The Hoosiers fell to No. 21 in Monday's update. But here's what actually matters: Indiana has 10 players committed for next season already. They added two big men, Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu, both ready for Big Ten basketball. All six commitments have high-major experience.

Last spring, DeVries and crew moved too slowly, didn't recruit enough size, and grabbed too many mid-major guys. This time around, they were aggressive. They wrapped up priority targets quickly. The transfer portal officially closes tonight at midnight, which means the roster picture is about to get a lot clearer.

The preseason ranking in late April means almost nothing. What matters is whether this translates to wins in November and beyond. After losing six of their last seven games and missing the tournament, Indiana needed this reset. Now the challenge is making sure the transfer portal isn't the highlight of IU basketball for a fourth straight season.

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