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Indiana Basketball poised for success in Year 2 under Archie Miller

By Lukas Harkins

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Archie Miller of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts in the second half of a game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Assembly Hall on November 10, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana State defeated Indiana 90-69. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Archie Miller of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts in the second half of a game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Assembly Hall on November 10, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana State defeated Indiana 90-69. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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With a top recruiting class and several key returners, head coach Archie Miller has Indiana basketball trending in the right direction for 2018-19.

Indiana basketball went 16-15 (9-9 Big Ten) last season. While this may have been a “down” season for the program, it was clearly a transition year into the regime of head coach Archie Miller. Widely regarded as one of the better coaches in college hoops, Miller is now entering his second year at the helm of the Hoosiers in 2018-19. Expectations will be much higher heading into this season and there are good reasons for that.

At the forefront of this will obviously be incoming freshman Romeo Langford. A top-10 recruit in the 2018 recruiting class, Langford has seen plenty of press since his commitment to join the in-state Hoosiers. He will instantly become of the best players in the nation and likely the go-to player for Indiana. However, this article is about more than just Langford. In fact, one player cannot single-handedly make a team a competitor on the national stage (unless that player is LeBron, I guess).

In addition to the highly-rated guard, Coach Miller is bringing in several other top recruits. Per 247Sports, the 2018 recruiting class for IU is ranked No. 9 in the nation. This does not just happen with one five-star commitment, either. As a matter of fact, the program is also bringing in four other recruits, all of whom rank in the top-150 of the class. Most notably, Jerome Hunter (No. 55) is a power forward that many programs would be happy to call the “gem” of their recruiting class.

However, what I find to be the most underrated part of the incoming group of freshmen is Race Thompson. A talented recruit from the 2017 IU recruiting class, Thompson redshirted last season and will be suiting up for the first time in 2018-19. He was the No. 134 ranked recruit in the 2017 class and is being overlooked as a potential offensive threat next season. He brings solid size at 6-foot-8 and could play anywhere from a small forward to a small-ball center role.

Even though the incoming freshmen are bound to make an immediate impact, the returning roster members from last season are consistently being underrated. Keep in mind that although IU did not make the NCAA Tournament last season, winning nine games in Big Ten play is not exactly a bad season. Because of this, it is especially important to note the returning contributors.

Leading the way for this group is senior forward Juwan Morgan. A 6’7″ scorer, Hoosier fans everywhere were excited to hear that he was returning to school for his final season rather than staying in the NBA Draft. Last season, he was the focal point of the offense, dropping in 16.5 points and adding 7.4 rebounds per game. Even though Langford is going to be seen as the best player on the team in 2018-19, Morgan is far from someone you want to overlook.

In addition, Devonte Green (7.6 points), Justin Smith (6.5 points), and Al Durham (4.8 points) are all returning after playing substantial minutes last season. With these four major returners coming back, there is plenty of experience on the Indiana basketball roster to go along with the youngsters. This kind of balance is incredibly important and the veterans on the team will help Coach Miller in teaching the freshmen how to work within the system.

Next: Updated preseason top-25

In my opinion, Indiana is a team that is currently being slept on big time in the Big Ten. There are a ton of headlines surrounding Langford and his unique skill set but many are underrating the rest of the roster. Now that Archie Miller is in Year 2 at the program, fans are going to start to see some serious changes. I’m not going to say that the Hoosiers will win the Big Ten or even compete for the title this season but they should be back in the NCAA Tournament. I have Indiana in my “Others Considered” section for the preseason top-25 here at Busting Brackets and they could easily have been involved in the rankings.

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