Big Ten Basketball: Updated 2021-22 preseason rankings after NBA Draft decisions
. . Hoosiers . 5. team. 482.
When the offseason started, one of the sure bets to leave for the NBA Draft looked like Trayce Jackson-Davis, the star of Indiana Basketball coming off another all-conference campaign of 19.0 ppg and 9.1 rpg. After the dismissal of head coach Archie Miller, he could’ve easily left but decided to stay for new head coach Mike Woodson.
That move sparked a quality offseason for the program. Not only did he stay but so did starters Rob Phinisee and Race Thompson. They did lose guards Aljami Durham and Armaan Franklin, the two top three-point shooters on the team. However, the Hoosiers did bring in All-ACC point guard Xavier Johnson from Pittsburgh, along with five-star freshman combo guard Tamar Bates.
There’s plenty of depth for Indiana as well that makes this a contending team. Guards Anthony Leal, Trey Galloway, Kristian Lander, and Parker Steward will be back in the backcourt, while transfers Miller Kopp and Michael Durr adds depth in the frontcourt behind Jackson-Davis and Thompson.
The potential issue to watch is three-point shooting, which wasn’t a strong suit of Johnsons while at Pittsburgh. There won’t be a lot of spacing from the frontcourt unless Kopp plays some at the four-spot but there’s a lot of talent to work with from 1-10 on this roster.