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The Indiana basketball program sits as the clear winner in the Big Ten conference at the midway point of the offseason. Not only did it bring in a fantastic recruiting class with two five-star prospects, it also returns Race Thompson for his covid season and three other starters from last year.
Then, the news in May that Trayce Jackson-Davis would return to Bloomington set the expectations even higher for the Hoosiers. In total, Indiana returns five of its top six scorers from an NCAA Tournament team a season ago.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein dished on why he thinks the Hoosiers are the team to beat in the Big Ten.
"The decisions by both Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate to remain in the 2022 NBA Draft instantly lowered Michigan’s ceiling for next season and therefore made the Hoosiers the consensus favorite in the Big Ten. Mike Woodson’s team returns five of its top six scorers — Trayce Jackson-Davis, Xavier Johnson, Race Thompson, Miller Kopp, and Trey Galloway — from last season’s team that lost in the NCAA Tournament to Saint Mary’s and also adds a pair of five-star freshmen in Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau. Veteran reserves Jordan Geronimo and Tamar Bates also return. The 6-9 Jackson-Davis is a prime candidate to be Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and a first-team All-American after averaging 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks last year as a junior. Indiana is currently ranked 13th in the Rothstein 45."
When Jackson-Davis returned to Indiana he noted the chance to win championships as a big reason for his return.
"I think this is the best team that I've been on since I've been here. It's not even the sense that -- it's the talent that we have," Jackson-Davis said. "We have talent all across the board from the guards all the way down to the centers. We have dudes that care about the program, are here for the right things.
"It's been hard for us because we haven't had a lot of success in the winning column, but I feel like now with this team it's going to be huge for us. We finally have talent, and there's actual expectations for what we can do. Just trying to get one championship under my belt, whether it be Big Ten or National. Obviously, I would want National more, but starting with the Big Ten.
"I think it would be huge because I feel like we're a top three team right now there. I love having expectations and having pressure with that situation because we've never had it in the past."
Indiana returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 last season. It won its first game in the First Four and then fell to Saint Mary's in the Round of 64.
Indiana finished the season 21-14 overall.
"When Indiana basketball is good, college basketball is good, I'll say that," Jackson-Davis said. "I think we have a chance to be really, really good next year."
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