Indiana Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Hoosiers

After making a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in Mike Woodson's first two years in charge, Indiana was looking to reach even greater heights in 2023-24. After all, they were fresh off their first postseason win since 2015-16, and had further bolstered their roster with the addition of highly touted true freshman Mackenzie Mgbako.

The Hoosiers took their lumps during a tough non-conference, but had a solid start to Big Ten play, entering February in position to reach the NCAA Tournament. Instead, a four-game skid in late February, punctuated by a bad loss to Penn State on the road, proved to be their undoing. Not even four straight victories to end the regular season was able to gain them entry into the Big Dance without a strong resume to fall back on, and a blowout loss in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to Nebraska was a fitting end to the season.

At 19-14 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten, it was hard to call the 2023-24 campaign a total bust for Indiana. But Hoosier fans expect more, and watching their arch-rival Purdue go all the way to the National Championship Game added insult to injury.

2024-25 may just be the team Hoosier fans have been waiting for. Woodson, evidently feeling some heat after a frustrating winter, went out and hit the portal hard, utilizing Indiana's sizeable NIL warchest to bring in some of the biggest names on the market. Those new additions, plus the return of both Mgbako and flourishing big Malik Reneau gives Indiana arguably the top roster in all of the Big Ten.

Bloomington is abuzz with all the possibilities on the hardwood this winter. But, this isn't the first time an Indiana team has entered the season with significant hype, and the results haven't always matched. Is this team truly ready to return the Hoosiers to National Title contention?