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NCAAB Predictions: Indiana Hoosiers

The biggest news surrounding Indiana in the offseason was the decision of leading scorer Trayce Jackson-Davis to take his name out of the 2022 NBA Draft consideration and return to Indiana.

Indiana displayed its potential during the Big Ten tournament when the Hoosiers followed up a win over Michigan by upsetting top-seeded Illinois. However, the championship dreams ended with a three-point loss to eventual champion Iowa in the semifinals when the Hoosiers squandered a nine-point lead with five minutes left to play.

Xavier Johnson #0, Rob Phinisee #1, Race Thompson #25, and Miller Kopp #12 of the Indiana Hoosiers stand on the court
Abbie Parr - Getty Images - AFP

Many other players in the rotation will also return for Indiana, so this could be a dangerous team.

With games against North Carolina, Arizona, and defending national champion Kansas in a span of 2½ weeks, nobody can accuse the Hoosiers of taking the easy way out while putting together its non-conference schedule.

Indiana was just 5-7 in games decided by five points or less, with four of those defeats coming in Big Ten play, so the Hoosiers’ 9-11 mark in the conference is a little deceiving.

Indiana is priced at +3300 in the odds to win the national championship per the college basketball odds.

Let’s check the latest NCAAB picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAB predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAB expert picks for you to consider.

Hoosiers

  • 2021-22 record: 21-14
  • 2021-22 Big Ten record: 9-11
  • Coach: Mike Woodson
  • Odds to win national title: +3300

Jackson-Davis put up 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds a season ago and will once again be one of the top players in the Big Ten. Add in the return of fellow double-digit scorers Xavier Johnson and Race Thompson, and it is no wonder there’s much optimism around Indiana heading into the season.

Indiana did see four players head elsewhere.

Parker Stewart, who started 31 games and was fourth on the team with an average of 6.2 points per game, has transferred to UT Martin, while Robert Phinisee is now at Cincinnati after playing nearly 20 minutes per game last season. Michael Durr, who headed to UCF, and Khristian Lander, who left for Western Kentucky, averaged less than 10 minutes per game.

Indiana Outlook

Woodson, a former IU great and a head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks in the NBA, could have the Hoosiers on the verge of moving up in the Big Ten pecking order. Woodson did make a change in the coaching staff as assistant coach Dane Fife did not return.

Indiana earned a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016, although the Hoosiers lost decisively to Saint Mary’s in the first round of the tournament after topping Wyoming in a play-in game.

The Hoosiers should be able to build on the program’s first Big Ten semifinal appearance in nearly a decade.

Indiana was just 3-8 on the road a season ago, and the Hoosiers failed to cover against the college basketball picks in seven of the first eight true road games a season ago. That will be a point of emphasis moving forward.

Indiana held opponents under 40% shooting and a 33.3 mark from 3-point range. Many of the players responsible for that success are returning, so scoring against the Hoosiers will be a challenge.

Getting three double-digit scorers back is a huge boost, so perhaps the offense can be more dynamic than it was a season ago. The Hoosiers struggled to top the college basketball betting lines total when playing away from home.

Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 6-foot-5 wing, and 6-foot-8 forward Malik Reneau were both top-30 recruits, so it will be worth watching how much of an impact Indiana’s class of incoming freshmen have this season.

2022 Indiana Schedule

  • Season opener: vs Morehead State, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. ET
  • Big Ten opener: at Rutgers, Dec. 3, 4 p.m. ET

Other Games to Watch

  1. at Xavier, Nov. 18, 6 p.m. ET
  2. North Carolina, Nov. 30, 9:15 p.m. ET
  3. vs Arizona (at Las Vegas, Nevada), Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET
  4. at Kansas, Dec. 17, 12 noon ET
  5. at Iowa, Jan. 5, 9 p.m. ET
  6. Wisconsin, Jan. 14, 1 p.m. ET
  7. at Illinois, Jan. 19, 8:30 p.m. ET
  8. Michigan State, Jan. 22, time TBA
  9. Ohio State, Jan. 28, 8 p.m. ET
  10. Purdue, Feb. 4, 4 p.m. ET
  11. at Michigan, Feb. 11, 6 p.m. ET
  12. Illinois, Feb. 18, 12 noon ET
  13. Michigan State, Feb. 21, 9 p.m. ET
  14. at Purdue, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
  15. Iowa, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. ET
  16. Michigan, Mar. 5, 4:30 p.m. ET

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