15. Indiana (1-0)
Things have turned around for Indiana in recent years since Mike Woodson was hired but this is a very important year for him in Bloomington. The Hoosiers underachieved and missed the Big Dance last season and similar results will not go over well. A busy offseason saw him and his staff better this roster, with significant talent and realistic goals for this season, but did they do enough to potential win a Big Ten title?
We only saw the Hoosiers in action once in the opening week, though they did enough to get the job done. It wasn’t an A+ effort, but Indiana hosted SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday and won 80-61. Mackenzie Mgbako was the unquestionable standout with 31 points and nine rebounds while Oumar Ballo added 15 points and 6 rebounds in his Hoosiers debut.
Obviously, a Wednesday night battle with an OVC team is not going to tell us what we need to know about this Indiana squad. Pieces both old and new shined at times in that first contest, but we’ll have to see how this roster continues to gel together. That being said, the Hoosiers stay right in Bloomington in the coming weeks, though that includes a battle against SEC foe South Carolina this upcoming weekend. Realistically, we may not see if this team is for real until January.