IU basketball has completed the non-conference portion of the schedule and the Hoosiers are 10-3.
Ahead of the restart of Big Ten play against Washington on Jan. 4, we’re taking a player-by-player look at the performance of each rotation player on the roster so far this season.
Next: Nick Dorn
Earlier: Tayton Conerway, Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries, Reed Bailey
Dorn’s numbers through 13 games
Dorn, a transfer from Elon, missed the first two games of the 2025-26 season while completing rehabilitation for offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot.
Since the Lindenwood game on Nov. 20, Dorn has logged double-digit minutes in nine straight games. He is averaging 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game off the bench.
The 6-foot-2 native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is shooting 44.7 percent on 3s on 47 attempts from distance over 11 games.
Which went well for Dorn
Dorn has proven to be a very good three-point shooter through the first 62 games of his career at Elon and Indiana.
He has made four or more 3-pointers in three games, including five against Louisville in a loss on December 6 and five against Chicago State on December 20.
Dorn has been almost exclusively a three-point shooter through 11 games, with 47 of his 54 field goal attempts (87 percent) coming from the perimeter.
He has also shown the ability to make mistakes and get to the line. Over eleven games he hits 17-for-20 and has a free throw percentage (FTA/FGA) of 37 percent. With his size and strong 225-pound frame, Dorn can overpower smaller defenders as he drives to the basket.
Areas of concern for Dorn
Through 11 games in an IU uniform, Dorn has just two assists compared to 10 turnovers. He functions best as a complementary scorer next to Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries.
If opposing defenses can lock him down at the perimeter, he is limited in his ability to impact the game in other ways on offense. So far, that hasn’t been a problem, as IU’s opponents have tried to make things difficult for Wilkerson and DeVries, which has helped Dorn get free three-pointers in the corner.
Defensively, Dorn has made strides since the start of the season when he returned from injury. As he continues to improve his fitness, he will need to show that he is capable of defending his position at the highest level so that his minutes can continue to grow.
Like everyone else on the roster, Indiana needs Dorn to continue making strides on the glass. Rebounding wasn’t his biggest strength at Elon, but on an IU roster with limited size and depth, Dorn is a good enough athlete to be a net positive on the boards in Big Ten play.
Outlook for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season
Dorn has shown steady improvement since returning from offseason surgery in mid-November. He has a perfect release and plays the game with enthusiasm on both ends of the floor.
He has made a strong case for more minutes when Big Ten play resumes in recent weeks. With Conor Enright’s offensive limitations and Tayton Conerway’s inconsistent three-point shooting, the Hoosiers may opt to explore more lineups with Dorn, Wilkerson and DeVries in the coming weeks to improve spacing on the floor.
As one of only two regulars in the current IU rotation with eligibility beyond this season, Dorn is a building block for the Hoosiers in the Darian DeVries era.
Shot chart for Dorn through 13 games
Shot Chart via our friends at UMHoops.com
See more: Commentary, Nick Dorn
#basketball #nonconference #review #Nick #Dorn