What to Make of Indiana Basketball’s 2026-27 KenPom Preseason Rating

On Sunday, KenPom, the widely-considered Holy Grail of college basketball metrics (which is used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee come March), was unveiled for the 2026-27 season. Here is where Indiana stands:

Where did Indiana basketball land in KenPom 2026-27 preseason ranking?

Indiana sits as the No. 47 team in the country entering the year, per KenPom. The Hoosiers boast the No. 42 offense and No. 49 defense. Also, the metric predicts Darian DeVries’ club to play fairly slowly, despite possessing new weapons who have skill sets custom-built to flourish in transition (No. 271 projected tempo, which is even slower than last year’s No. 249).

Advertisement

Key takeaways from Indiana basketball’s preseason KenPom rating

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian Devries yells instructions to his team against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

KenPom doesn’t see Indiana making a leap in Year 2 of the Darian DeVries era

In 2025-26, Indiana didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. And it finished as the No. 45 team in KenPom’s rankings. Entering the 2026-27 season at No. 47 isn’t exactly an encouraging sign.

Sure, with the expanded NCAA Tournament field, the Hoosiers would almost certainly get into the Big Dance if they were to match last year’s season. But a near replica of 2025-26 would be underwhelming, to say the least.

With Indiana’s star-studded transfer class and a freshman group that appears poised to outplay its billing, the Hoosiers, contrary to last year, aren’t short on talent. DeVries should also have a better handle on the Big Ten.

Advertisement

A step forward is the bare minimum. A leap is the expectation. Evidently, though, KenPom isn’t predicting it – or, at the very least, it has to see it to believe it.

The Hoosiers are the No. 12 team in the Big Ten entering 2026-27

KenPom isn’t Indiana’s biggest fan. That has already been established. But…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/indiana-basketballs-2026-27-kenpom-210700968.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-12 21:07:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.