It’s no secret that Indiana men’s basketball is projected to contend for the Big Ten crowd this upcoming season. Those predictions only really started pouring in after star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis announced his intentions to return to Bloomington.
The reason why is obvious. Last season’s heavyweights like Michigan, Illinois and Ohio State lost a good amount of firepower to the NBA Draft process and transfer portal. Meanwhile, Indiana lost a single starter from last season’s lineup and replenished its bench losses with a vaunted recruiting class.
Returning experience sounds ideal, but you have to keep in mind that the returning experience in question went 9-11 in the Big Ten last season and ranked tenth in points per game with 70.