NCAA Basketball: Reevaluating preseason top 25 power rankings of 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
13. Indiana (23-12, 4-seed, Round of 32)
Picked by many to win the Big Ten this season, expectations were certainly high for an Indiana team that returned most of its talent and added a few impressive freshmen. The Hoosiers were also getting back Trayce Jackson-Davis, who’d actually become a First Team All-American this season and play a monumental role in Mike Woodson’s second season at the helm. Things just didn’t progress exactly as many expected.
The Hoosiers jumped out to a 7-0 start, including a road win at Xavier, but suffered some tough losses against top competition in December, losing tough contests against Arizona and Kansas. When Big Ten play began, the Hoosiers got off to a rough start, sitting just 1-4 in conference play in mid-December before winning eight of their next nine. As it turned out, Purdue was the best team in the conference, but the Hoosiers beat their rivals twice in the regular season before flaming out against Penn State in the conference tournament.
Indiana’s NCAA Tournament run did not progress as the Hoosiers anticipated, especially after an impressive showing in their opening-round win against Kent State. They were upended by 16 points by Miami in the second round, again falling short of a trip to the second weekend. It almost feels like Jackson-Davis’s incredible season was wasted, especially with the Hoosiers unable to win the Big Ten regular season or conference titles. At least they weren’t upset by a 16-seed!