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Excitement is brewing in Indiana. The national media for college basketball has their attention turned to Bloomington to see what Mike Woodson can do with his new team. So many different paths could be taken by the Hoosiers this season, and it should be fascinating to see their story unfold.

With the season starting Tuesday against Eastern Michigan (tipoff 6:00 pm ET), some of the unknowns are about to be made known. It’s time to make some predictions about what this team could become.

Below are three predictions with a confidence meter ranging from 1-to-10. My confidence meter is impacted by the amount of concrete evidence we have to support the argument, i.e. quotes, stats, etc. Let’s get into it.

Read between the lines of mostly positive press conferences by Mike Woodson and assistant coaches this offseason, and you'll find concern for the offense.

"Offensively, we still have a ways to go," Woodson revealed in late September. "I got a number of set offenses that we got to put in here in the next month ... We still got a lot of work to put in, though."

There were bright spots when the Hoosiers played their exhibition games in the Bahamas, but they still struggled on offense in their second game. They followed up a 78-point performance in game one by scoring just 64 on a ghastly 33% from the field.

The offensive production of the 2021-22 squad won't be worse than last year. It can't be. There is too much added offensive talent to match the subpar scoring output from the past few seasons. Woodson is also a brilliant offensive mind and should get more out of his players on that end.

Still, Woodson's emphasis on defense seems to be in part because he knows the offense is lagging a bit. Free throw shooting, three-point shooting, and offensive efficiency are all big question marks.

Indiana's relatively easy non-conference schedule should allow them time to gel on offense. So much of good offense comes from chemistry and consistency, and the Hoosiers should improve on those fronts by the time they face Big Ten opponents.

Still, it is very possible (and potentially probable) that Indiana will struggle to score the basketball.

Everyone is learning a new system, even if that system is predicated on freedom to play and better floor spacing. Don't be surprised if Indiana spends most of the year in the lower half of the Big Ten offensively.

The way the media at large viewed the Hoosiers in preseason polls is rational yet debatable. The AP voted Indiana 27th to begin the season and 7th in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland, and Michigan State.

Anytime a coaching change takes place, voters can only rank the team so high. There is too much mystery to guarantee success or failure with exactly zero minutes of film to watch.

However, a team with Indiana's level of talent -- including an AP First-Team All-American -- has the capacity to achieve much more than their ranking suggests. Remember Juwan Howard's first season at Michigan in 2019? His team began the season unranked before beating Gonzaga and North Carolina in the Battle for Atlantis and catapulted to No. 4 in the country as a result.

Indiana doesn't have the non-conference schedule strength to make a vault like Michigan in 2019, but a similar ascension may happen in conference play. The Hoosiers have an easy non-conference schedule which will allow them to gel before taking on the Big Ten gauntlet.

There is still much we do not know about this Indiana team, and overwhelming offseason positivity surrounding the program has overshadowed the fact that there will inevitably be trials this season. Still, if everything clicks, this team has much greater potential than most of its' Big Ten peers.

My guess is that Indiana is ranked most of the year and surpasses Maryland, Michigan State, and Ohio State in the conference standings. The talent on Indiana's roster is overwhelming in comparison, and Mike Woodson should be able to put his guys in spots where they can succeed.

When you watch the film of Indiana the last few years, the lack of playmaking is what really stands out. The Hoosiers haven't had a player average more than four assists per game since Yogi Ferrell in 2015-2016 (5.6 APG).

Having a player who can create opportunities for others is absolutely invaluable and essential. Part of the reason Indiana suffered from so many scoring droughts over the past few years is the absence of a playmaker and/or shot creator.

Enter Xavier Johnson. No, he has not been on any winning teams in his three-year career (40-48 record), but he has shown the ability to playmaker at the highest level in the ACC. Johnson has never averaged fewer than 4.5 assists per game and has built upon that number every season since.

To make things better, Johnson can score from the perimeter in addition to setting up teammates. Considering the talent level surrounding him at Indiana compared to Pitt, his assist numbers may ascend even higher. The pick and roll with Johnson and Trayce Jackson-Davis will be a go-to and will pose a massive challenge for opponents.

It's no secret that Johnson really struggles with turning the ball over, which will hurt his team at times. I don't expect him to become any more protective of the ball. However, when you weigh the opportunity cost of the scoring droughts versus the turnovers, the negatives of Johnson's game become easier to deal with.

Johnson gets compared to former Hoosier Devonte Green quite frequently. I understand the comparison but disagree with it. Devonte Green was a volume shooter but never used his ability to create for others.

Johnson makes mistakes trying to involve his teammates, not just shooting the ball. In the long run, more positives come from a player like Johnson's unselfish ambitions despite an extra 3-to-4 turnovers per game.

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