Big Ten Basketball: Minnesota, Northwestern and Nebraska rise in latest power rankings
By Joey Loose
8. Indiana (11-5, 3-2)
Things have been trending in a better direction since Mike Woodson took over the program, including the program’s first Tournament win in seven years last season. Recent years have been a bit dry for a Hoosiers program with so much history and success. Unfortunately, that dry spell looks to be continuing this season based on what we’ve seen for two months.
The Hoosiers clearly miss Trayce Jackson-Davis, though it hasn’t all been bad this season. All of the Hoosiers’ nonconference losses came against currently ranked foes, though there’s not really a great win on the resume outside of league play. Winning against Ohio State last weekend helped push the needle but the Hoosiers then lost by nine points to Rutgers with one of their worst offensive outings of the season.
Xavier Johnson missing time has hurt while talented players like Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau have had their moments but it’s not enough to make Indiana a legitimate contender. The offense and defense are both notably worse than last season and the Hoosiers have wasted early chances for a marquee win. We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks, especially with a great opportunity against rival Purdue next week.