Indiana University Athletics
Creativity and Productivity – Burton Poised for Big Hoosier Season
5/21/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If Markus Burton plays to his college history and gets inside the 3-point arc -- and there's no reason to think the 6-foot, 190-pound transfer point guard won't now that his ankle is fully healed -- opposing defenses are in a world of hurt.
How much hurt? Let Indiana coach Darian DeVries explain as he contemplates what the former Notre Dame standout will do as a Hoosier.
"He's one of those guys, with seven seconds left on the shot clock, he can bail you out," DeVries says. "You need guys who can when things break down and you need to get in the paint – be able to do that and score or play-make for somebody else."
Burton, one of seven college transfers on the rebuilt Hoosier roster, is the kind of point guard crucial to postseason and in-season success. He rates as a top-25 transfer prospect overall nationally, top six as a point guard.
The former Indiana Mr. Basketball from Penn High School near Mishawaka brings career averages of 19.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. He shoots 85.5% from the line, 45.4% from the field.
Burton was the ACC rookie of the year in 2024 after averaging 17.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.2 steals. The next year, he led the conference in scoring at 23.5 points in ACC games while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range. An ankle injury limited him last season to 10 games.
Burton's mid-range jumper is a game changer. He shot 59.0% in his first two seasons from that distance.
"He has an elite mid-range game," DeVries says. "It's like, when he gets to 15 feet, it's money. I'm excited about what that can lead to. He will put a lot of pressure on the drop coverage that a lot of teams play."
DeVries says many teams defend the pick and roll by dropping back. They want guards shooting from 10 to 15 feet. That won't work with Burton.
"When you have a guy like Markus," DeVries says, "that's what he thrives on. It puts you in a tough spot as far as how you want to cover that."
As a sophomore, Burton scored a career-high 43 points against Cal. That was one of four games that season in which he scored at least 30 points.
Last year, before getting hurt, he had 24 points and three steals against Kansas, and 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against Houston. Those were two of the best teams in the country.
"He had that ability to go get a basket," DeVries says. "You watch his games from last year and he made a lot of good reads off the pick and roll. His good decision-making was impressive.
"Sometimes, you think about his 20 points a game, but he does a lot of other stuff really well, too."
The best teams, championship teams, need an offensive and defensive catalyst from the point guard position. Burton is positioned to deliver that.
"His numbers speak for themselves," DeVries says. "It's his ability to score at a high level against really good competition.
"The thing that is impressive, though, is he can play make for people, too. He's not just scorer. I'm excited about that."
"I think he will be great. I'm excited about his ability to play on and off the ball. He can score with it, score without it. He will be set up to have a great year."
DeVries hit the backcourt hard by also signing Darren Harris from Duke, Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, and Justin Monden from Maryland Eastern Shore, plus high school standout Prince-Alexander Moody from Maryland. Harris played 56 games in two seasons at Duke. Lindsay, who also played at Texas A&M and James Madison, averages 37.7% on 3-pointers for his career. Monden, who also played at NCAA Division II Georgia Southwestern State, averaged 6.0 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds last season.
Moody rates and the nation's No. 8 combo guard.
"I like the guards we have and what their abilities are," DeVries says. "They can score and can get paint touches, which I think is critical, not only for themselves, but the shooting we have around them.
"It's being able, when (the shot clock goes) 5-4-3-2-1 and somebody has to make a bucket, we have guys who can get them. I'm excited about that. They can shot create for themselves and others. We have a lot of guys who can make a play. That will be important."
It's something the Hoosiers didn't have last season, when they faded in the season's final month to finish 18-14 and not make the NCAA tourney.
"There were times when teams switched us and we didn't have the ability to get by people and get paint touches, finish at the rim and draw fouls," DeVries says. "We wanted to increase our ability to do that."
DeVries and his staff did that and more, landing size as well as speed, skill and shooting, highlighted by center Samet Yigitoglu from SMU, power forward Aiden Sherrell from Alabama, and swingman Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech.
"What I like the most is the balance," DeVries says. "We have a lot of ways to score. We have some guys who can post, some guys who can get in the paint. They can get a shot for themselves or create for others. We have great depth.
"I like the experience we have, but we also have different classes – some freshmen, sophomores, a lot of juniors. That gives us the opportunity, not only for this year, but for retention. We want to start to sustain some of that. I'm excited about how the group came together for sure."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If Markus Burton plays to his college history and gets inside the 3-point arc -- and there's no reason to think the 6-foot, 190-pound transfer point guard won't now that his ankle is fully healed -- opposing defenses are in a world of hurt.
How much hurt? Let Indiana coach Darian DeVries explain as he contemplates what the former Notre Dame standout will do as a Hoosier.
"He's one of those guys, with seven seconds left on the shot clock, he can bail you out," DeVries says. "You need guys who can when things break down and you need to get in the paint – be able to do that and score or play-make for somebody else."
Burton, one of seven college transfers on the rebuilt Hoosier roster, is the kind of point guard crucial to postseason and in-season success. He rates as a top-25 transfer prospect overall nationally, top six as a point guard.
The former Indiana Mr. Basketball from Penn High School near Mishawaka brings career averages of 19.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. He shoots 85.5% from the line, 45.4% from the field.
Burton was the ACC rookie of the year in 2024 after averaging 17.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.2 steals. The next year, he led the conference in scoring at 23.5 points in ACC games while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range. An ankle injury limited him last season to 10 games.
Burton's mid-range jumper is a game changer. He shot 59.0% in his first two seasons from that distance.
"He has an elite mid-range game," DeVries says. "It's like, when he gets to 15 feet, it's money. I'm excited about what that can lead to. He will put a lot of pressure on the drop coverage that a lot of teams play."
DeVries says many teams defend the pick and roll by dropping back. They want guards shooting from 10 to 15 feet. That won't work with Burton.
"When you have a guy like Markus," DeVries says, "that's what he thrives on. It puts you in a tough spot as far as how you want to cover that."
As a sophomore, Burton scored a career-high 43 points against Cal. That was one of four games that season in which he scored at least 30 points.
Last year, before getting hurt, he had 24 points and three steals against Kansas, and 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against Houston. Those were two of the best teams in the country.
"He had that ability to go get a basket," DeVries says. "You watch his games from last year and he made a lot of good reads off the pick and roll. His good decision-making was impressive.
"Sometimes, you think about his 20 points a game, but he does a lot of other stuff really well, too."
The best teams, championship teams, need an offensive and defensive catalyst from the point guard position. Burton is positioned to deliver that.
"His numbers speak for themselves," DeVries says. "It's his ability to score at a high level against really good competition.
"The thing that is impressive, though, is he can play make for people, too. He's not just scorer. I'm excited about that."
"I think he will be great. I'm excited about his ability to play on and off the ball. He can score with it, score without it. He will be set up to have a great year."
DeVries hit the backcourt hard by also signing Darren Harris from Duke, Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, and Justin Monden from Maryland Eastern Shore, plus high school standout Prince-Alexander Moody from Maryland. Harris played 56 games in two seasons at Duke. Lindsay, who also played at Texas A&M and James Madison, averages 37.7% on 3-pointers for his career. Monden, who also played at NCAA Division II Georgia Southwestern State, averaged 6.0 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds last season.
Moody rates and the nation's No. 8 combo guard.
"I like the guards we have and what their abilities are," DeVries says. "They can score and can get paint touches, which I think is critical, not only for themselves, but the shooting we have around them.
"It's being able, when (the shot clock goes) 5-4-3-2-1 and somebody has to make a bucket, we have guys who can get them. I'm excited about that. They can shot create for themselves and others. We have a lot of guys who can make a play. That will be important."
It's something the Hoosiers didn't have last season, when they faded in the season's final month to finish 18-14 and not make the NCAA tourney.
"There were times when teams switched us and we didn't have the ability to get by people and get paint touches, finish at the rim and draw fouls," DeVries says. "We wanted to increase our ability to do that."
DeVries and his staff did that and more, landing size as well as speed, skill and shooting, highlighted by center Samet Yigitoglu from SMU, power forward Aiden Sherrell from Alabama, and swingman Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech.
"What I like the most is the balance," DeVries says. "We have a lot of ways to score. We have some guys who can post, some guys who can get in the paint. They can get a shot for themselves or create for others. We have great depth.
"I like the experience we have, but we also have different classes – some freshmen, sophomores, a lot of juniors. That gives us the opportunity, not only for this year, but for retention. We want to start to sustain some of that. I'm excited about how the group came together for sure."
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