Big Ten Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2020-21 season

There is realistic hope for a significant breakthrough for the Hoosiers in Archie Miller’s fourth year at the helm, as they return all of their starters from last season’s 20-win team. That continuity should give them an edge (at least early) in a conference experiencing a good deal of turnover, and they’re hoping to take advantage of it.

Trayce Jackson-Davis (13.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 bpg) has all the makings of a star and should make a significant leap as a sophomore. Rob Phinisee took a nice step forward as a playmaker as well, though the Hoosiers will need him to continue that development.

While Miller has quality pieces to work with, there are still some areas that need significant improvement if this group is going to threaten the teams ahead of them on this list.

That starts with their perimeter shooting. The Hoosiers ranked outside the nation’s top 200 in three-point percentage last season and were 326th in the percentage of shots they took from deep. Essentially, they didn’t take a lot of threes and, when they did, they didn’t go in that often. Add in that they are losing their best shooter in Devonte Green and you have a real area for concern.

Jackson-Davis needs room to operate inside, and his job becomes much harder if the Hoosiers don’t scare opponents on the outside. Indiana’s three-man recruiting class doesn’t consist of any obvious stars, but all three should be able to help out in this area.

Indiana needs to make the NCAA Tournament this year and they have the pieces to. But, in order to be anything more than just an average team, Jackson-Davis has to become a star and they need to collectively improve their outside shooting.