MINNEAPOLIS - Indiana's hopes of making a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament came to an end on Friday night in the quarterfinals.
The final 20 minutes of Friday's contest seemed like nothing more than a formality after the Cornhuskers jumped out to a sizable first half lead behind a relentless barrage of 3-pointers.
It didn't take long after the final buzzer sounded for reports to surface that Indiana would not be accepting a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), if an invitation were to be extended the Hoosiers' way.
Friday night's loss to Nebraska inside the Target Center in Minneapolis was officially the end of Indiana's disappointing season.
It's now time for the Hoosiers to look ahead to the offseason. The next seven months makeup perhaps the most important offseason for Mike Woodson and his staff during his tenure at his alma mater.
What the Hoosiers do and do not do this offseason will almost assuredly play a role in Woodson's future with Indiana.
Without further ado, let's take an early look at the upcoming offseason for the Indiana Hoosiers.
Who's departing?
There are only two players from Indiana's 2023-24 roster that for sure won't be back in Bloomington next season playing with the Hoosiers. Both Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker have run their collegiate eligibility dry and are unable to return to Indiana. Their college basketball careers are over.
Aside from those two, it's unclear who may or may not be leaving Indiana this offseason either via the transfer portal or by way of the NBA Draft.
Kel'el Ware is one of a handful of Hoosiers who could seek to test the 2024 NBA Draft waters. Entering the season, Ware was billed as a sure-fire first round pick in this year's NBA Draft.
After a season in which the sophomore averaged 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on 59.5% shooting from the field, Ware is still a consensus first round pick.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has the All-Big Ten Honoree slated to come off the board at pick No. 11 in the first round of his 2024 NBA Mock Draft.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo are not quite as sold on Ware hearing his name called in the lottery. Givony and Woo have Ware being taken with the 25th overall pick in their 2024 NBA Mock Draft.
"No, not yet," Ware responded after he was asked if he'd given his future any thought in the immediate aftermath of Indiana's Friday night loss to Nebraska. "I'm going to give it some time before I think about anything."
Because of Ware's first round projections, the Hoosiers should prepare for a 2024-25 season in which they're without the services of their all-conference big man.
Malik Reneau's future with Indiana is much less clear than his front court counterpart's. Testing the NBA Draft waters is a viable possibility for the sophomore forward.
NBA scouts could deem Reneau to be one or two years away from being worthy of a draft pick. If that's the case, Reneau will have to decide whether he wants to continue his collegiate career in Bloomington with the Hoosiers or if he'd rather head someplace else next season.
Following the Hoosiers' loss to the Cornhuskers, the Indiana sophomore seemed uncertain about his future.
When asked by one reporter if he would still like to play basketball at Indiana next season, Reneau responded with a swift "yes sir." However, Montverde (Fla.) product contradicted that sentiment in response to a later question.
"No, not really," Reneau answered when asked by another reporter if he'd given any thought to his future plans. "There's a lot of stuff I have to think about. I just need time to think and reevaluate the season. I have to talk to the people in my circle and my family and go from there."
If Reneau elected to run it back with the Hoosiers next season, the then-junior would likely enter the year with All-Big Ten expectations. At this point, extremely early on in the process, Reneau's decision remains a mystery.
Freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako is in a similar boat to that of Reneau. The Big Ten's Co-Freshman of the Year wasn't mentioned in either of the aforementioned 2024 NBA Mock Drafts, but that may not stop Mgbako from at least testing the draft waters.
As is the case with Reneau, if Mgbako decides to return to college in favor of taking off for the NBA, the former five-star recruit would likely have his pick of the litter should he enter the transfer portal.
CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks seem like two of the most likely Hoosiers to play their college basketball elsewhere next season season. Gunn and Banks are both members of Woodson's first-ever Indiana recruiting class, but the two have never been able to carve out consistent spots in the Hoosiers' rotation.
Both sophomores have found it difficult to find regular and consistent playing time throughout their Indiana careers. When they have, the results have varied.
Maybe the best thing for both of them is to find a fresh start somewhere new for the 2024-25 season.
Who does that leave?
With a handful of Hoosiers' futures looking a little bit clouded at the moment, it's hard to pinpoint who exactly Indiana should expect to have back for next season. Determining who may be left on this Indiana roster once the dust settles is a difficult task at this time.
All three of Ware, Reneau and Mgbako could be gone next season. Or, they could all be back. However, the most likely outcome for that trio seems to be a combination of departures and returnees.
Senior guards Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal have both publicly announced that they will be using their fifth years of eligibility to return to Bloomington next season. The return of Galloway and Leal solidifies a strong foundation for Indiana's backcourt next season.
Galloway and Leal are both versatile guards that can fit next to a wide range of backcourt counterparts. That makes them ideal pieces for the Hoosiers' retooling of the roster ahead of next year.
Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton -- two freshmen guards -- are also likely to be back repping the cream and crimson next season. The addition of two young and talented guards to go in conjunction with veterans Galloway and Leal, provides the Hoosiers with what figures to be a deep backcourt next year.
Indiana should also anticipate returning Ball State transfer Payton Sparks next season. Sparks gives the Hoosiers some depth in a front court that could undergo a lot of changes
Ball State transfer Payton Sparks should also be back next year for Indiana giving the Hoosiers a depth option in a front court that could undergo a lot of changes this offseason.
Portal targets
With all of that out of the way, it's time to dive in to the types of players the Hoosiers could look to target in the transfer portal this upcoming offseason. With a 2024 recruiting class absent of any players, it's transfers or nothing for Indiana to reshape this roster.
Who Indiana could and should look to target in the portal will change depending on who decides to exit and who decides to return to the program this offseason.
No matter what the Hoosiers' own players decide to do, Indiana must look to prioritize guards and shooters in the portal.
Inconsistent guard play was a huge cause for concern for the Hoosiers throughout the season. Indiana should figure to be major players for all of the portals top ball handlers this offseason, as the Hoosiers search for an elite lead guard.
Bringing in a top of the line point guard to pair with Galloway in the starting back court should be priority No. 1 for Indiana this offseason.
Once the Hoosiers have acquired a commitment from one of the portals upper echelon guards, it's time to track down a handful of guys that can shoot the ball. Indiana's roster this season lacked many players capable of consistently spreading out the defense and knocking down the long ball.
In the modern era of basketball, a team can never have too much shooting. The problem for this year's Indiana team, they had next to no shooting. The Hoosiers have to look to combine quality with quantity in the portal and bring in a couple of proven shooters to help Indiana basketball make the transition into the 21st century.
Another key for the Hoosiers this offseason is valuing a players fit over their talent. Indiana must take a team building mindset into the offseason. Throwing a bunch of talented guys on the floor and asking them to go compete isn't a recipe for success as the Hoosiers saw this season.
There's no question that this year's Indiana team oozed talent. The Hoosiers boasted a roster full of five-stars and top-100 prospects galore, but yet they still struggled. The reason? They didn't fit well together on the court.
The Hoosiers have to go out and put together puzzle pieces that actually fit together this offseason.
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