Indiana basketball: Has Archie Miller’s first year been a failure?
By Shane Skeary
In the first year as head coach of Indiana, Archie Miller’s team has had their ups and downs. Was it a successful season for the Hoosiers?
Barring anything crazy happening this weekend, Archie Miller and Indiana is going to miss the NCAA Tournament – again. The Hoosiers haven’t missed the tournament in consecutive seasons since the first three years of the Tom Crean era.
Head coach Archie Miller’s first year was filled with ups and downs, but heading into the Big Ten Tournament, he has his team above .500 (16-14) with a 9-9 record in conference play – good enough for the #6 seed and a chance to play in-state rival Purdue on Friday. Not bad right?
Eh, not really. Indiana basketball fans always want more. It’s the reason they point to their “banners on the wall” and the reason why they parted ways with Crean last season. The Sweet Sixteen rings just weren’t enough.
But, realistically, what did they expect? Miller took the job only to see talent like OG Anunoby, James Blackmon, Jr. and Thomas Bryant walk away to chase NBA dreams. Robert Johnson, Juwan Morgan and Josh Newkirk all stuck around, but they aren’t stars by any means. Only Morgan received any conference accolades above honorable mention.
While Miller was unable to get his veterans (who are not actually his, mind you) to raise his team to another level. He should get some credit for the progress made by some of his youngsters. Justin Smith, who has had an inconsistent freshman campaign, has turned it on as of late. He’s averaged nearly 15 points and five rebounds off the bench over his last four games, giving the Hoosiers a much-needed spark heading into postseason play.
The credit should stop there, though. While there have been some incremental improvements, Indiana basketball is at or near the bottom in almost every statistical category among Big Ten teams and don’t forget, their schedule features losses to Indiana State and Fort Wayne. At home. Yikes.
Despite where they stand this year, there is hope for next season. Miller will probably get Morgan to stay for his senior year. Smith and other youngsters such as Devonte Green and De’Ron Davis will get another summer to develop in Miller’s system. On top of that, according to Rivals, Miller has four 4-star recruits en route to Bloomington to add to the talent base.
In the end, it’s all about how you look at it. Indiana is on many radars as a dark horse in New York City. If they make a run and earn that auto-bid into the tournament, the perception changes a bit.
Next: 2018 Big Ten Conference Tournament preview
On the off-chance that they don’t, then yes, most Indiana basketball fans will tell you that sixth in the conference standings and more importantly no NCAA tournament berth is a failure – no matter what the circumstances or expectations may be.