The Indiana basketball fanbase has a right to feel restless, as the program has just one win in the NCAA Tournament since 2016. Luckily for the Hoosiers, though, their new-look roster gives them a legitimate chance to return to the Sweet Sixteen, and possibly go beyond that.
On top of the talent infusion, coach Mike Woodson has some tricks up his sleeve this year, via the Indianapolis Star's Zach Osterman.
“I’m going to try to play two bigs,” Woodson said, “just to test it.”
Woodson was referring to his new center duo. One of them is Malik Reneau, who's returning for his junior year. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention posted career highs across the board last year, clocking in 15.4 points per game with six rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.6 blocks.
The other half of Woodson's new “Twin Towers” combination is Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo. Ballo is a part of a stacked transfer class that ranks second in the nation, via 247 Sports.
The Malian international was a force on the Wildcats, ending his career there as the program's all-time leader in field goal percentage (64.6%). Additionally, he's only one of ten players in Arizona history to have 1,000 career points and 800 rebounds for the school.
While Reneau and Ballo will undoubtedly be a quality pair, the rest of Indiana's roster is just as tantalizing.
“Woodson also has the healthiest stable of wings he’s enjoyed in his four years in Bloomington, with the retention of Big Ten co-freshman of the year Mackenzie Mgbako and the arrival of five-star freshman Bryson Tucker and Illinois transfer Luke Goode,” Osterman said.
How far will Woodson take the Hoosiers in his fourth year in Bloomington?
Woodson has the chops to take Indiana basketball all the way
Mgbako, Tucker, and Goode are all dangerous scoring threats. Mgbako averaged 12.2 points on 39.5% shooting last year while shooting 37.8% from long range in Big Ten Play.
Tucker, a McDonald's All-American, is 247's ninth-ranked small forward in the country. The 6-foot-6, 180-pound wing has an exceptional midrange game, via 247's Eric Bossi.
“Where he really stands out…is with his ability to score from the mid range,” Bossi said. “Tucker gets to his spots without wasting dribbles, elevates and is problematic for defenses trying to stop him from scoring from between 12 and 17 feet.”
Lastly, Goode 38.8% from long range across three years with the Fighting Illini, giving Woodson an array of snipers to work with. The former New York Knicks coach will have the flexibility to play both bigger lineups and smaller lineups that favor shooting.
“Just like I played in New York,” Woodson said. “I just haven’t been able to get there, and I think we can this year.”
However, it will take time over the offseason for him to figure out his preferences.
“These eight weeks, man, of summer play, will kind of shape where we are as a ball club,” Woodson continued, “and give me some kind of indication going into next season.”
Woodson, who's been coaching since 1996, knows what it takes to win on both the collegiate and professional levels. The 66-year-old was also the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1980 when he played for Bob Knight's Hoosiers.
Armed with the best roster he's had since he arrived to Indiana, there's no reason why Woodson can't take this squad deep into March.
Follow Us
Subscribe
