Big Ten Basketball: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 2022-23 season

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 10: Head coach Mike Woodson of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after getting called for a technical foul in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

8 of 10

Indiana Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Indiana looks to handle being the target in the Big Ten

Looking at all of the preseason rankings in the league, the near-consensus is that the Indiana Hoosiers are the team to beat. That could say good things about the blue-blood but it also speaks about the weaknesses of the top0tier of the Big Ten as well.

Indiana is the one team that returns most of the production from the season prior. Trayce Jackson-Davis is an All-American, senior Race Thompson is a double-digit scorer from inside, while Xavier Johnson at times looks like one of the best point guards in the country. Plus, they add a pair of five-star freshmen in Malik Reneau and Jalen Hood-Schifino.

This is still the same Hoosier squad that needed a run in the Big Ten Tournament just to make it to the play-in game of the Big Dance. And despite all of the talent on paper, looked very mediocre at times. They weren’t a great shooting team overall and Johnson as point was wildly inefficient outside of his hot late stretch in February.

It’s been a while since Indiana has been a true threat in the Big Ten and on the national scene but at least to start out the 2022-23 campaign, will start out as the favorite. They’ll be the “hunted” in the league but has the talent to overcome that. But they’ll have to be much more consistent than they were last year.

Home/Big Ten