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The Hoosiers are hoping the next era of Indiana basketball can be a mix between old and new.
If it can, then IU once again might be able to rise to the top of the Big Ten.
But it’ll take more than 1 year under the new direction of coach Mike Woodson, a former Indiana player under legendary coach Bob Knight, for the Hoosiers to be able to get there. The Hoosiers might be able to surprise at times in 2021-22, however, because they’ve brought in quality pieces, like transfers Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp and Parker Stewart, to surround All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the Hoosiers.
Best player
Most first-year coaches don’t inherit a player as good as Jackson-Davis. The junior, who decided to stay in Bloomington after initially appearing ready to move on, can be counted on for a double-double nearly every game after he averaged about 19 points and 9 rebounds last season. And he did that on an IU team that didn’t have a consistent No. 2 scoring threat and was a below-average perimeter shooting team.
The Hoosiers are hoping that their offseason additions, namely Kopp and Stewart, will help to open up the paint for Jackson-Davis, because there now might be a punishment for doubling down on him in the paint. If Jackson-Davis can operate more freely, then his superior athleticism, especially against other 5 men, will come through. He’s a tough matchup, because he’s too quick in the paint and can face up and attack the basket.
As Indiana tries to climb back up the Big Ten — preseason projections have the Hoosiers finishing in the middle of the pack, likely as an NCAA bubble team — Jackson-Davis is a great place to start.
Biggest strength
The Hoosiers’ biggest strength is that they have new life.
The program had run out of steam under the leadership of Archie Miller, a reason why it had decided to move on from the former coach and seek a newcomer who could provide a dose of energy. Woodson has at least brought that to Assembly Hall, along with a level of authority after his lengthy career as an NBA assistant. It helps too that he has a close relationship with Knight, bringing the former coach back into the family after he had avoided campus for so many years after his firing.
Hoosier fans have reason for optimism again, after they had been miserable for the last couple seasons, watching a sometimes listless Indiana squad have very little direction offensively and give little-to-no effort defensively.
Biggest weakness
Maybe Indiana has a solution for one of its biggest personnel questions of recent seasons: the point guard.
Johnson is the top candidate to run the point, after his successful career at Pitt, where he averaged 4.7 assists over his 3 seasons as the starter. He was great last season, averaging 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 18 games, with 16 starts. He’ll bring instant credibility to a position that has been the biggest weakness in recent seasons.
Maybe Robert Phinisee, who struggled in that role previously, can blossom when the pressure is off. The senior has a ton of talent, which he’s flashed at times, but he has experienced moments where his confidence wanes. As a backup, perhaps Phinisee can blossom in more of a combo guard type of role.
Key to the season
The Hoosiers need all their new pieces to come together quickly and to fill in all their gigantic voids.
Maybe they can.
Kopp, a transfer from Northwestern, and Stewart, who played previously at UT-Martin and Pitt, can both pour the basketball in from the perimeter, hitting 33 and 35 percent of their 3-point attempts in their last seasons. That’ll help out an IU team that struggled from outside last season, when it made only 32 percent of its attempts (11th in the Big Ten) and had only 158 makes, dead last in the league.
And Johnson will need to settle in as the new point guard as well, finding Jackson-Davis as frequently as possible, while also getting the ball to the Hoosiers’ new shooters.
Scouting the backcourt
So much is yet to be determined.
Newcomers Johnson, Parker and Kopp join with returnees Phinisee and Trey Galloway to form a rotation that the Hoosiers should be comfortable with, but depth is lacking. Can another young player — maybe a year of development will help Khristian Lander — step into a bigger role, perhaps as an extra perimeter scorer? That would be a significant help to the Hoosiers.
Kopp, on the wing, is exactly the kind of player who can find success with this Indiana team. He doesn’t demand the basketball and can be effective as a second or third scoring option, after the ball has gone inside to Jackson-Davis. He should thrive.
Scouting the frontcourt
Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson are a good pair in the frontcourt, because they’re more athletic than many of the opponents they’ll face in the Big Ten.
So that’s a good thing.
The bad?
They’re also shorter than many others, with Jackson-Davis being 6-foot-9 and Thompson 6-8.
Enter Michael Durr, a 7-foot, 250-pound transfer from South Florida. Indiana was hampered last season when it couldn’t go to a bigger lineup with Joey Brunk on the floor, because the big man sat out with an injury. And Brunk has since transferred (to Ohio State). But Durr will at least give IU that option now; last season at South Florida, the big man averaged almost 9 points and 8 rebounds.
Predicting March
If everything comes together for Indiana, the Hoosiers could get into the NCAA Tournament, probably as a 7-10 seed.
They’ll have plenty of opportunities to pick up marquee wins during the season, especially once they get into the Big Ten season.
A safe prediction is that Indiana makes the Dance, but loses in the first round. Considering the inconsistency of the program in recent seasons, that should be considered a success.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.