In his first seven games as the head coach at Indiana, Darian DeVries has guided his team to seven consecutive wins and a Top 25 ranking.
“I’m not really sure if we’re ahead of schedule, behind schedule,” DeVries said. “For us, it’s just about, ‘How do we keep getting better?’ That’s all we’re really consumed with.”
The next chapter in DeVries’ inaugural season with the Hoosiers will start when No. 22 Indiana (7-0) tips off against Minnesota (4-4) on Wednesday evening in Minneapolis. The contest is the Big Ten Conference opener for both programs.
The game will mark the Big Ten debut for both DeVries and Minnesota coach Niko Medved.
Indiana is coming off a 100-56 home win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday afternoon. It wrapped a flawless start to the nonconference schedule for the Hoosiers, whose early highlights include a 23-point win over Marquette in Chicago and a seven-point victory over visiting Kansas State.
Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son, leads Indiana in scoring at 17.9 points per game on 46.1% shooting from the field. Lamar Wilkerson is averaging 16.7 points per game, and Tayton Conerway rounds out the top three scorers with 11.9 points per game to go along with a team-high 5.3 assists per contest.
Conerway is far from the only player on the team who has shown a willingness to distribute the ball. Indiana is averaging 20.9 assists per game as a team.
“The guys, they’re just unselfish,” Darian DeVries said. “They really have a good understanding of what we’re trying to do on offense, and they really move it and share it.”
As Indiana looks to stay hot, Minnesota is hoping to snap a cold streak as it returns home.
The Golden Gophers are coming off three straight losses on a road trip. They fell short 77-65 against San Francisco in Sioux Falls, S.D., then lost 72-68 to Stanford and lost 86-75 to Santa Clara, both in Palm Desert, Calif.
Injuries also have played a role in Minnesota’s slump. The Golden Gophers were limited to a rotation of seven players in their most recent game, the setback to Santa Clara on Friday.
Cade Tyson is healthy and has emerged as Minnesota’s top player. He is averaging 22.4 points and shooting 53.2% from the field.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is the only other Golden Gophers player who is scoring in double digits. He is averaging 12.4 points as well as a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game.
Medved believes in his players despite the team’s recent struggles.
“Stay with these guys,” he said. “We are going to fight, we are going to battle, and better days are ahead.”
One player who will look to earn more playing time on Wednesday is Indiana guard Nick Dorn. He missed the start of the season because of a broken foot but scored a season-high 14 points in 19 minutes during the Hoosiers’ most recent game.
“I think our training staff has had a really good plan, and Nick has been great about it, too,” Darian DeVries said. “He understands that this is a process as he’s making his way back. He’s been terrific about that. … He’s getting more and more comfortable.”
–Field Level Media
