Big Ten Basketball Look Ahead to 2022-23: Indiana Hoosiers

The look ahead continues today for BT Powerhouse as we take a look at the Indiana Hoosiers and the questions around that program headed into the 2022-23 season.

Can Indiana find an outside shooter?

The 2021-22 Hoosiers squad was one of the absolute worst in the country for three-point attempts (No. 321 in three-point attempt rate) and did not fare well when the team did attempt them (No. 200 in three-point percentage). IU has been known to focus on the front court and inside game for a while now. However, the expectations have been lower in years past.

Now Indiana needs to come up with a high-volume and accurate three-point shooter after losing last season’s best in that role in Parker Stewart. Stewart led the team in both percentage (39.3%) and volume (4.0 attempts per game). Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp will likely be relied on now, but both will need to up their attempts drastically without affecting their percentage, something far easier said than achieved given the amount of tape on both players. In addition, incoming freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino will need to help with hitting from outside as well.

Is the hype justified?

The Hoosiers seem to be a popular pick to finish near the top, or even at the top, of the Big Ten for the 2022-23 season. Yet, while the team adds Malik Reneau and Hood-Schifino as highly-rated freshman, the main name that pops out to Big Ten fans on the roster remains Trayce Jackson-Davis. While Jackson-Davis is a great player, the pieces around him are not the most reassuring when it comes to a Big Ten title contender.

Picking up Kopp in the transfer portal helps, but the team is still returning Race Thompson, Jordan Geronimo, Tamar Bates, Trey Galloway, and Xavier Johnson as the main pieces outside of Jackson-Davis. Those are a fair group of players on the whole, but not exactly the pieces that immediately jump out at you as conference title contenders. Is there more than meets the eye to this group heading into the season, or is it more so the Big Ten is that weak on the whole? We should know a better idea of the answer to that come February at the latest.

What does success look like for the Hoosiers this year?

Indiana does have more than a few tough matchups in the non-conference schedule that has been released. A road trip to Xavier looms in the Gavitt Tipoff games as the first test. North Carolina (home), Arizona (neutral), and Kansas (road) will also all be a big challenge.

As for Big Ten draws, home and away will be rough with games against Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Rutgers. Ohio State and Wisconsin both have to visit Bloomington, however, and road games are just to Maryland, Minnesota, and Penn State.

Overall, that schedule is a tough one. A NCAA Tournament bid should be easily in the realm of possibilities for this squad. Is a Big Ten title or trip to the second weekend in the cards? What about finishing better than .500 in those tough non-conference matchups?