Indiana Hoosiers
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #25
Conference Rank: #4 Big Ten
Not surprisingly, Indiana struggled during Coach Archie Miller’s first season leading the program. There was a lot of rebuilding to be done and the Hoosiers did make some decent strides in the right direction. The next step is to develop some consistency. With six of the ten players from the regular rotation returning, the Hoosiers have a nice base of experience that has spent a year in Coach Miller’s system. And with some very talented newcomers joining the mix, this team has the potential to be very good.
2017-18 Record: 16-15, 9-9
2017-18 Postseason: None
Coach: Archie Miller
Coach Record: 16-15 at Indiana, 155-78 overall
Key Departed Players:
Robert Johnson, Guard, 14.0 ppg
Josh Newkirk, Guard, 7.1 ppg
Freddie McSwain, Forward, 4.2 ppg
Colin Hartman, Forward, 4.2 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Juwan Morgan, Senior, Forward, 16.5 ppg
De’Ron Davis, Junior, Forward, 9.6 ppg
Zach McRoberts, Senior, Guard, 2.8 ppg
Devonte Green, Junior, Guard, 7.6 ppg
Justin Smith, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg
Aljami Durham, Sophomore, Guard, 4.8 ppg
Clifton Moore, Sophomore, Forward, 0.7 ppg
Key New Players:
Damezi Anderson, Freshman, Forward
Vijay Blackmon, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from St. Francis (IN)
Evan Fitzner, Senior, Forward, Grad Transfer from St. Mary’s
Jake Forrester, Freshman, Forward
Jerome Hunter, Freshman, Forward
Romeo Langford, Freshman, Guard
Rob Phinisee, Freshman, Guard
Race Thompson, RS Freshman, Forward
Projection:
Juwan Morgan flirted with going to the NBA, but opted to return for his senior season. That is huge for the Hoosiers after he led the team with 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season. Morgan is the leader of the team on the floor and his production will need to keep pace with his leadership. De’Ron Davis will make a fine frontcourt mate for Morgan. Davis should be ready to go after an ACL tear in January cut his sophomore season short. The frontcourt gets an experienced piece to add to the mix with Evan Fitzner. The graduate transfer from Saint Mary’s is a superb outside shooter and will stretch the defense. With the athleticism of sophomore Justin Smith and the potential of freshmen Jerome Hunter and Damezi Anderson, the IU frontcourt is loaded. Devonte Green will have to be the new leader on the perimeter after averaging 7.6 points per game. The Hoosiers expect him to take a big step forward this year. Romeo Langford is the best recruit in a very good class. With so much lost on the perimeter, Langford should step right into a starting role and make a huge impact from day one.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.9 (228th in nation, 11th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.3 (117, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.6 (129, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.1 (194, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (296, 13)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.2 (315, 13)
Free-Throw Percentage: 45.6 (129, 8)
Rebound Margin: 1.5 (135, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (143, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (131, 10)
Madness 2019 NBA Draft Rankings:
#7 Romeo Langford
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#6 Romeo Langford
#52 Jerome Hunter
#106 Robert Phinisee
#113 Damezi Anderson
#149 Jake Forrester
