After NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two seasons, coach Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers had a disappointing 19-14 campaign in his third year.
But Woodson retained three key starters and added six newcomers, moves that have the Hoosiers pegged as a consensus top-25 team heading into the 2024-25 season.
Below is a complete breakdown of Indiana’s offseason, plus their outlook for next year.
Who did they lose?
Who did they win?
Coming back
Reasons for optimism
Indiana’s signing haul is ranked in the top three nationally by On3 and 247Sports, and the class fills a variety of needs. Most importantly, Indiana’s guard play (its biggest deficiency last season) should be much improved with the additions of Pac-12 Rookie of the Year guard Myles Rice and guard Kanaan Carlyle. Indiana also landed 7-foot-13 Oumar Ballo from Arizona, the top recruit in the country, according to On3. While he won’t be out shooting 3s or handling the ball like Indiana centers Kel’el Ware and Trayce Jackson-Davis, he is dominant around the rim on both ends of the floor. Five-star rookie Bryson Tucker may not immediately step into a starting role, but he’s one of many reasons Indiana should have more players than it did last season.
Most of the discussion surrounding Indiana during the preseason has revolved around its incoming signings, but Woodson also did well to retain three starters in Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway. The addition of Rice and Carlyle should take some pressure off Galloway, whose shooting numbers dipped last season despite improving as a point guard and playing tough defense. Mgbako is the reigning co-Big Ten freshman of the year and has NBA potential on the wing. Reneau had a breakout sophomore season and enters the year as one of the conference’s top forwards.
The biggest concerns
Has Indiana completely fixed its 3-point shooting woes from last season? It should definitely be better than its 32.4% in 2023-24 (ranking 12th in the Big Ten and 273rd nationally out of 363 teams), but how much is unknown. Indiana signed 6-foot-7 Illinois transfer Luke Goode, a 38.8% 3-point shooter on 219 career attempts over three seasons. But Rice and Carlyle’s shooting numbers (27.5% and 32%, respectively) leave a bit to be desired. Their free-throw numbers, both above 77%, suggest improvement on 3-point shooting is possible in their second seasons.
In addition to the transfers, Indiana expects Mackenzie Mgbako’s 32.7% 3-point shooting as a freshman to go up a bit and for Galloway to get closer to the 46.2% he shot as a junior, compared to just 26% last season. Cupps (35.9%) and Leal (47.4%) were capable last season, but their role could be reduced with the transfers of Rice and Carlyle.
Woodson will also have to figure out Indiana’s offensive spacing with Reneau and Ballo in the starting lineup. Ballo does all of his scoring near the rim. Reneau can get out to the perimeter at times, but his strength is also scoring in the paint. There’s a chance the line could get congested with Reneau and Ballo on the floor together, but Woodson has also mentioned playing Mgbako and Goode at the four in certain situations. It’s a luxury to have Reneau and Ballo, but the right lineup combinations remain a puzzle for Woodson to figure out with so many newcomers.
The bottom line
Indiana looks to be a top-25 team and an NCAA tournament contender at the moment, at the very least. It has a much more talented group than last season, especially at the shooting guard position. And even though it lost Kel’el Ware to the NBA, Ballo will be one of the best centers in college basketball next season. If the three-point shooting improves and Woodson finds the right fit with his new roster, this team will compete for a Big Ten title and a second tournament appearance.
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