NCAA Basketball: Top 25 preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

The Hoosiers made a big move this offseason in replacing Archie Miller with former NBA head coach Mike Woodson. Star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis must have been a fan of the move as he elected to return immediately after the news, giving Indiana a potential Big Ten Player of the Year candidate. He averaged a team-leading 19.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg and was just as effective as the other star bigs in the conference.

The hope is that with a better team, Jackson-Davis will be more on the national radar. And he’ll be surrounded by a better supporting cast, including returning forward Race Thompson, and guards Parker Stewart, Anthony Leal, Robert Phinisee, and Kristian Lander. This core is joined by several impact transfers, including South Florida center Michael Durr, who gives the team true five-man to combat the bevy of star centers in the Big Ten.

To replace now-Virginia guard Armaan Franklin in the shooting department will be Northwestern wing Miller Kopp, who shot 36% from three-point range in three years, two of them scoring overall in double figures. And the likely starting point guard will be Pittsburgh transfer Xavier Johnson, an All-ACC playmaker coming off a 14.2 ppg and 5.7 campaign. There’s also five-star freshman guard Tamar Bates, whose play could very well lift the ceiling for Indiana this season.

The Hoosiers have been out of the national picture for a while and have a new head coach from the NBA, which recently has been a hit-or-miss move in NCAA Basketball. But from a pure talent perspective, this is a roster that could be a top-10 team at some point if the guards can be consistent contributors. Things are looking up for Indiana but they have to take advantage of Jackson-Davis likely last year in college.