ESPN’s list of their top-100 college basketball players for 2025-26 is more notable for who they left out from an IU basketball perspective.
The outlet’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf teamed up to publish their “Top 100 men’s NCAA basketball players ranked going into 2025-26.”
To no one’s surprise, included is IU senior forward Tucker DeVries, son of head coach Darian DeVries. He’s slotted in at No. 37 on the list. Here’s what Borzello wrote about him:
DeVries won two Missouri Valley Player of the Year awards under his coach-father, Darian, at Drake, then followed him to West Virginia, where he was averaging 14.9 points and shooting 47.3% from 3-point range before an injury ended his season after only eight games. How will it all translate to Indiana? Darian has built his roster with a focus on shooting, and they don’t come much better in that area than Tucker.
But excluded from IU are three first team all conference performers from last season, including a conference player of the year.
The ESPN duo does not believe Lamar Wilkerson, Reed Bailey or Tayton Conerway are national top-100 players, implying by exclusion they don’t think their production will translate very well to the high major level.
Chances are Borzello and Medcalf are going to be way off on at least one of them.
Wilkerson was one of the more coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason. Indiana beat out Kentucky and others for the Arkansas native. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.9 minutes per game for Sam Houston last year. The first team All-Conference USA performer was one of 19 players nationally to average at least 20.0 points per night. He shot 44.5% from three on very high volume (109-of-245).
Bailey was one of two players listed at 6’10 or taller (Johni Broome, Auburn) to record at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, and 100 assists during the 2024-25 season. He averaged 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 33.3 minutes per game at Davidson and earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Bailey shot 47.7% (215-of-451) from the floor, 41.5% (17-of-41) from the 3-point line, and 76.8% (175-of-228) from the free throw line.
Conerway won the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year last season. He started all 34 games for a Trojan squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He broke the Troy program record and finished third nationally with 98 steals. Conerway averaged 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 steals in 30.3 minutes per game last season.
Also included in the list at No. 61 is Malik Reneau, who transferred from IU to Miami (Fla.) during the offseason.
Indiana opens the 205-26 season on Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M.
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