Where Andy Katz Ranks Indiana Basketball in Big Ten Preseason Predictions

NCAA and Big Ten college basketball analyst Andy Katz delivered his summer Big Ten power rankings Monday, and Katz projects Indiana men's basketball will finish ninth in the conference in head coach Darian DeVries' debut season.

The Hoosiers' roster, which holds 13 scholarship players, doesn't have a single player returning from last season's 19-13 team, the last of Mike Woodson's four years in Bloomington.

Katz believes West Virginia transfer forward Tucker DeVries, Daruan DeVries' son, and Troy transfer guard Tayton Conerway will spearhead the Hoosiers' attack this season.

"Remember the name Tayton Conerway," Katz said. "Conerway will be a big-time scorer in the Big Ten from Indiana."

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Conerway earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors in 2024-25 after averaging 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He ranked third in the country with 98 total steals, a program record at Troy, and he scored in double figures in 27 of his 34 appearances last season.

Conerway impressed during Indiana's open-to-media practice July 30, and Darian DeVries touted his unique creativity with the ball in his hands when speaking with reporters after the session.

"He likes a little razzle dazzle with it," DeVries said. "But he's really talented at both ends of the floor. He's really gifted. I think for us offensively letting him kind of playmake the way he knows how to playmake, and defensively, he's really got quick hands. He has the ability to create steals, turnovers for us.

"I'm excited about what he can continue to grow into for this team."

Here's Katz's full rankings and the tiers in which he placed each program.

Contenders:
1. Purdue
2. Michigan
3. Oregon
4. UCLA
5. Illinois

Challengers:
6. Wisconsin
7. Michigan State
8. Ohio State
9. Indiana
10. Washington
11. USC

Sleepers:
12. Maryland
13. Northwestern

To be determined:
14. Nebraska
15. Iowa
16. Penn State
17. Minnesota
18. Rutgers

The Hoosiers finished ninth in the Big Ten last season. Katz has Indiana ranked above Maryland, which finished second in the conference in the 2024-25 campaign, but below Ohio State, which ended one spot behind the Hoosiers at the end of last year's Big Ten slate.