HOW THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM CAN WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP
Although they exhibited some sloppy concerns throughout the course of their regular season opener against Eastern Illinois last night, Mike Woodson and the Indiana University men’s basketball team came away with a 19-point W. It may not have been the most eye catching first impression, but the Hoosiers ultimately got the job done and took care of business as they rightfully should have.
The team will look to build off of their opening night victory as they look ahead to what is next, and Woody will assuredly demand that his soldiers prioritize the next battle on the schedule and ONLY the next game on the schedule. In spite of this, the entire program will undoubtedly have the end of season war in the back of their minds as they go about their day-to-day business.
We have a long way to go until we reach the climax of the current college basketball campaign, but it is not difficult to envision a scenario playing out in which the cream and crimson are competing in the final contest of the NCAA season come March. The likelihood of that coming to fruition hinges on a collection of occurrences transpiring over the course of the next few months.
TEAM MUST STAY HEALTHY
Anthony Leal was the only Hoosier to miss the team’s first game, but that is not to say that the Hoosiers have avoided the injury bug altogether early on in the season. Trey Galloway only just recently recovered from an offseason knee operation. Kanaan Carlyle missed the second exhibition game versus Marian with bruised ribs. As the year wanes on, setbacks such as these are inevitable. Regardless, it is essential to the Indiana’s success that these guys and everyone else can remain in good health.
MACKENZIE MGBAKO MUST EARN BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
After earning co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors a season ago, many hoped Mackenzie Mgbako would take a monstrous step forward in year 2. In game 1 of his aforementioned year 2, the product of New Jersey made it extremely clear that he understood the assignment. He dropped a new career high 31 points on 13-17 shooting from the floor (4-5 from deep) while also snagging 9 rebounds. Expecting him to replicate that type of production each and every game is irrational, but holding him accountable as the alpha of this team is not. In order for Indiana to reach the heights it desires, they will need Mgbako to be not only their best player but also one of the best players in the entire country.
SOMEONE OTHER THAN MGBAKO AND LUKE GOODE MUST ARISE AS A SHARPSHOOTER
After shooting a frigid 32.4% from beyond the arc last season, it was crystal clear that this team was in desperate need of some much-needed shooting this season. Knowing this, Woody and his staff did a great job of revamping this roster with guys (Luke Goode, Kanaan Carlyle, etc.) who could/should theoretically provide relief in this department. But outside of Luke Goode (career 38.8% 3-point shooter) and Mgbako (wildly inconsistent shooter last year but appearing more confident and comfortable this time around), there is no one on this team who has full on proven to be a bonafide marksman. Sure, Anthony Leal sunk a whopping 47.4% of his trey balls in 2023-2024, but that was on a measly 19 attempts. Perhaps Leal can sustain that level of shooting, but he will need to showcase an ability to hit shots at a higher volume if he is going to cement his status as a sharpshooter.
OUMAR BALLO MUST AVERAGE A DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Ballo has received a ton of preseason hype from the media after a few highly productive seasons at Arizona, and it is difficult to recall a center of his prototype sporting the IU candy stripes. The 7-foot brute is an absolute bully on the blocks and in the trenches, and his team will need him to control the boards, protect the paint, and score at an extremely efficient rate consistently as the season plays out.
BACKCOURT ROTATION MUST BE AMONG NCAA’S TOP 5 MOST PRODUCTIVE
With all due respect to guys like Xavier Johnson and CJ Gunn, the Hoosiers guard corps was all caps LACKING in 2023-2024. Then, Woody and his colleagues started STACKING this offseason. Now, this backcourt rotation boasts last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and one of the nation’s top floor generals in Myles Rice. Furthermore, they picked up Kanaan Carlyle and his services as an electric all-around scorer/feisty point of attack defender. With those two now slotting into the starting guard spots, the starting guards from last season’s squad (Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps) are now delegated to bench duties. With all of these guys in the fold (plus Leal and Jakai Newton), this backcourt has the potential to blossom into one of the NCAA’s best. The team will need that potential to translate to results.
MALIK RENEAU MUST AVOID FOUL TROUBLE CONSISTENTLY
Malik Reneau’s longstanding struggles staying out of foul trouble have plagued him thus far through 2 seasons as a Hoosier. Despite his impressive statistics last year (15.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG) and signs of progression in the area of hacking (fouls-per-40 minutes dropped from 6.8 as a freshman to 4.3 as a sophomore), Reneau seemed to revert back to some of his year 1 habits towards the end of year 2. He is an extremely dangerous weapon when he is on the court, but in order to utilize his skillset he will need to stay on it.
BRYSON TUCKER MUST PROVE HIMSELF AS A TOP 5 NCAA DIAPER DANDY
It is pretty puzzling just how quiet the hype train was surrounding Tucker coming into his freshman season. The McDonald’s All-American combines his physical gifts with a naturally smooth and extremely versatile game on both ends of the floor. Tucker was a genuine menace during the team’s final exhibition victory over Marian (team-high 19 points to go along with lockdown defense), and will be counted on for high quality minutes off the pine. If he can establish himself as one of the nation’s elite freshman, this team will have a much stronger chance of reaching the promised land.