Indiana provides 'really good performance' for home fans in final game at Assembly Hall this season

Assembly Hall was quiet. The 17,222 seats that fill the historic basketball palace sat empty an hour after Indiana crushed Minnesota 77-47 — and they will remain that way for the next eight months.

Eight more months until Martha the Mop Lady is shown on the videoboard to a sea of coordinated claps from the crowd. Eight more months until The Who’s “Eminence Front” is played while the Hoosiers’ starting five is announced before tipoff. Eight more months until “Hoo, Hoo, Hoo, Hoosiers” chants ring out from the Crimson Guard student section, the “Greatest Timeout in College Basketball” at the under-eight-minute break, and everything that goes into making an IU basketball game a special experience for all.

But before Assembly Hall goes into hibernation, Indiana was able to send its fans home with a sense of satisfaction. They lined the exits with smiles on their faces because the Hoosiers put together what you could certainly consider the most complete performance of the entire season.

A dominant victory over Minnesota closed the home slate for Darian DeVries’ group, finishing with a 14-4 record inside the Hall. Year one of the DeVries era has been up and down, back and forth, as Indiana has never truly found its footing throughout the 2025-26 season.

The Hoosiers were coming off a four-game losing streak ahead of the matchup with Minnesota, making it all the more significant that they were able to put together a one-sided victory.

Instant Analysis: Three takeaways from Indiana’s 77-47 win over Minnesota

“I think it’s awesome. I mean, again, that’s what this place is. We love our hoops,” DeVries said after the Purdue game. While the season hasn’t exactly panned out since then, Indiana turned things around for its final home showing of the season.

Wednesday night against the Gophers, fans inside Assembly Hall were treated to an enjoyable night of basketball — nothing more, nothing less. They won’t be back cheering on the Hoosiers until a new season rolls around, so getting a win, whether or not it propels IU to the NCAA Tournament, was key.

With senior night festivities also taking place, it was the final time that six Hoosiers got to play at Assembly Hall, making it even more special that the Hoosiers were able to secure such a one-sided victory.

“I think like all these guys, when they’re seniors, you have a special connection with them, as you know this is their last time on the home floor,” DeVries said after the Minnesota win. “That was a really good performance and happy for those seniors to go out the way they did tonight.”

And it was every bit of the 30-point win that the Hoosiers finished with. They shot 57% from the field, 42% from 3-point range, and spread the scoring around with four guys in double figures. On top of that, Indiana played superb defense, holding the Gophers to their lowest point total of the entire season.

It was just an all-around fundamental performance. There was hustle, energy, enthusiasm and everything in between, as the Hoosiers played with a confidence that has been key to their success all year long.

“I was proud of the guys,” DeVries added. “I thought the guys really had a complete 40 minutes tonight from start to finish on both ends of the floor. I thought defensively that was about as good and connected.”

Sam Alexis played arguably his best game of his final season in college basketball, scoring 23 on 9-of-11 shooting. Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries and Nick Dorn were all major contributors as well, giving IU four real scoring threats — something that’s been a major absence all year long.

The Hoosiers out-rebounded the Gophers 37-24, totaled 40 points in the paint to Minnesota’s 22, and were simply a dominant force in front of the home crowd. Could this one be a momentum builder as the Hoosiers look to sneak into the NCAA Tournament? Possibly. Indiana sits at 18-12 (9-10) with an all-important matchup with Ohio State coming up on Saturday, one that could decide IU’s postseason fate.

But as fans rose to their feet with 1:56 left on the clock, they weren’t thinking about whether Indiana’s name would be called on Selection Sunday. They provided a standing ovation as Wilkerson and DeVries checked out of the ballgame, exiting the Assembly Hall floor for the final time of the one-year careers in Bloomington.

When the clock hit triple zeros, there was another standing ovation — one that celebrated the 30-point victory one more time — but after that, it was time to head home. Fans lined the aisles to exit their respective sections, ready to leave Assembly Hall for the final time of the 2025-26 season.

A full 40-minute performance escaped Indiana all season, until it didn’t. Now, it’s about riding the momentum into final stretch: ‘Something that just propels you’

Indiana is likely still on the outside looking in as far as the tournament is concerned, but Wednesday night wasn’t about what might be next — it was about 40 minutes of quality Indiana basketball.

The seniors walked off the floor as winners. Coach DeVries closed out his first home slate with an emphatic victory, and the fans could table their frustration for a moment while showing their appreciation for a well-earned dominant win.

This hasn’t been a perfect season by any means — far from it, actually — but Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota was something to appreciate. Because the feeling is still there for Indiana fans, and the Hoosiers showed a glimpse of what that could be in the DeVries era.

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