The frontcourt is an obvious strength for Indiana's roster heading into the 2021-2022 season. Trayce Jackson-Davis is a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate looking to leave his mark on the college game before turning pro. Race Thompson and Michael Durr have started a combined 112 games in their careers, and Logan Duncomb is a promising young center.
In recent years, Indiana's big men have been its strength, but the guard play has often lacked potency. A strong correlation exists between guard performance and wins or losses.
Things are shaping up to be different this year than in the past. The backcourt has plenty of depth and the competition for minutes is fierce. At point guard alone, career-starters Xavier Johnson and Rob Phinisee are competing along with former five-star recruit Khristian Lander for minutes.
"They've all been battling," coach Mike Woodson said of the trio. "Khristian is starting to step up now, where he was a little behind the eight ball. I thought Xavier and Rob were kind of leading the way, which I expected ... I feel good about our point guard play."
