Sam Alexis' Breakout Season for Indiana Basketball

On March 24, Indiana men's basketball wrapped up its first season under coach Darian DeVries

without an NCAA tournament bid. The Hoosiers ended with 18 wins and 14 losses overall,

going 9-11 in Big Ten Play. A late slum dashed their March madness chances, but standout performances

like that of Center Sam Alexis offered some bright spots. Alexis transferred in from Florida

last spring, seeking more minutes after limited time behind a stacked front court.

He started as depth behind Reed Bayley, but moved into the starting role after a lineup tweak

following a loss to Louisville, and the team split center duties based on matchups,

with Alexis handling most minutes down the stretch. On offense, Alexis led the Hoosiers with

an offensive rating of 131.6 and shattered the program's single season feel goal. Percentage

record at 68.7 percent. That held up in Big Ten Games too, at 69.4 percent. Nearly 70 percent

of his shots came at the rim, where he converted over 80 percent, mainly via labs and picking

roles. Defensively, he stood out as the team's top rim protector, with a block rate of 6.2 percent,

holding his own, despite being 6B9. Inches in a tall Big Ten. Still, his usage sat at just 18.4

percent of possessions, ranking 5th in feel goal attempts. Teens like Michigan State and Illinois

limited him by denying space, and Indiana might have benefited from more post touches to open up

the floor. Looking ahead, Alexis showed real promise as a finisher and protector,

setting a foundation for degrees to build on next year with better balance. Inside and out.