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The Indiana basketball program hasn't been a team in or around the top 25 for much of the past few seasons but with the upcoming 2022-23 season, that will change.

With the return of Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Hoosiers return four starters that include Race Thompson, Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp. Include the No. 13 overall recruiting class in 2022 and Indiana is bringing back some of the top talent in the Big Ten and around the country.

With the NBA Draft deadline on June 1, ESPN released its ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 and placed the Hoosiers in the top 15.

Indiana checks in as the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 14. Michigan checks in at No. 20 and Illinois at No. 25.

The Hoosiers have some great momentum heading into next season.

From Jeff Borzello:

Given that the Hoosiers have finished better than ninth in the Big Ten once since 2016, it feels like a risk saying this, but here goes: With Trayce Jackson-Davis withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to Bloomington, Indiana will likely enter the season as the Big Ten favorite. Jackson-Davis is a dominant force on the interior and will get preseason All-American recognition in some circles, and he's leading a core of four returning starters from a team that won 21 games in Mike Woodson's first campaign at the helm. The Hoosiers are also adding five-star recruits Malik Reneau and Jalen Hood-Schifino, as well as ESPN 100 prospect Kaleb Banks. Expect a step forward from former top-25 prospect Tamar Bates, too. The glaring issue for Indiana is going to be perimeter shooting; the Hoosiers shot just 31.9% from 3 in Big Ten play last season, ranking next-to-last in the league.

Projected starting lineup:

Xavier Johnson (12.1 PPG)

Jalen Hood-Schifino (No. 24 in ESPN 100)

Miller Kopp (6.0 PPG)

Race Thompson (11.1 PPG)

Trayce Jackson-Davis (18.3 PPG)

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