Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Season Preview

Nov 4, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers during introductions before the game against the Hillsdale Chargers at Assembly Hall. Indiana won 79-39. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Hoosiers basketball team spent more weeks last season as the No. 1 ranked team than anyone else, but in the end it didn’t matter. An outstanding season was cut short by loss to Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

IU lost 72-percent of its offense after last season. Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo graduated early to head to the NBA. Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford were both seniors and Remy Abell transferred.

Now the Hoosiers will start a season with just two contributors from last year: Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey. Its impossible to understate what Tom Crean has done with this program. In just a few years, he took IU from the bottom of the conference to the top team in the nation.

Heading into the 2013-14 season, the Hoosiers have the sixth ranked recruiting class in the nation. Most of the players in this class will take time to develop and only Noah Vonleh has a chance to be a one-and-done style of player.

In many conferences (read: SEC), the Hoosiers would be sitting near the top, as it is, IU will likely be the fifth or sixth best team in the Big Ten. IU will enter the season ranked 24th in the country in the Coaches Poll. Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are all ranked ahead of the Hoosiers.

As of right now, IU will face nine ranked teams, only two of which are not in the conference (Syracuse and Notre Dame). IU once again doesn’t have a particularly difficult non-conference schedule, but being in the Big Ten it doesn’t need to. The Hoosiers will be challenged plenty when conference play begins.

After two exhibition games, it looks like IU is still struggling a bit in the half court. When the Hoosiers get out and run, they are incredibly dangerous. IU’s transition game will still likely be as potent as it was last year.

Starting Five

Its tough to determine the starting rotation, and there are really only two or three locks as starters. It will likely take some time for Crean to determine his starting lineup, and that’s been very evident during the exhibition games.

Yogi Ferrell, PG

Ferrell struggled against Syracuse. It was the first time that he looked like an undersized freshman all season. Ferrell is going to make this offense effective. He is fast, able to create, and is his shot is getting better. He’s put on muscle in the offseason and has been more willing to shoot the ball.

Will Sheehey, SF

Sheehey would have started on most teams last season. He is a talented wing who has range and can defend multiple positions. He has been a energy guy off the bench for the Hoosiers over the past few years, but he’ll be a starter and leader this season. The new foul rules might affect Sheehey who tends to be a little intense on defense.

Noah Vonleh, PF

Vonleh is one of the top 15 players in the 2013 class. He’s a combo forward with a ton of talent. He’s already an excellent rebounder and has a knack for scoring in traffic. He moves like a guard, but has the size (6-10, 240) of a power forward. The current problem with Vonleh is his free throw shooting. In two exhibition games, he’s 0-for-8. He is going to get fouled often, and IU can’t afford to leave five to 10 points on the floor every night because he can’t hit from the charity stripe (as Hulls once said, “They’re free for a reason.”).

Troy Williams, SG/SF

Willaims has the potential to be the next Oladipo. He is a very good perimeter player who sometimes switches to small forward. He’s a long 6-6 with the ability to guard multiple positions. Williams is a natural scorer who is best when slashing to the basket but is also a solid shooter. When he’s on the fast break with a player like Ferrell a SportsCenter Top 10 is waiting to happen.

Evan Gordon, SG

Gordon is the younger brother of former Hoosier and current NBA starter Eric Gordon. He transferred from Arizona State and as one of the few seniors on the roster, will likely be a stabilizing factor for IU. He might be the best three point shooter on the roster, but isn’t a lock to make the starting five.

Key Contributors

Jeremy Hollowell, SF

Hollowell was a sharpshooter and leading scorer in high school. He was able to use his size to bully opponents, but last season he found out that won’t work, especially in the Big Ten. That said, he has the potential to be a scoring threat for IU and even push for a starting spot. He came off the bench in the first exhibition game and made some big contributions, but didn’t do the same when he was in a starting spot. Consistency will be key for the sophomore.

Hanner Mosquera-Perea, PF

Perea is an unbelievable athlete who needs to work on his basketball skills. He spent a lot of his freshman off season injured and then was suspended for weeks because the NCAA’s rules make no sense. Perea has shown a lot of improvement in the off season and it should get more minutes than last season.

IU’s transition is going to be rough. Don’t expect this team to come out and dominate opponents early on like they did last season. The lineup will be fluid for awhile and Indiana won’t be ranked the entire season.

IU finishes fifth in the conference, and makes the NCAA tournament, but they won’t go very far once they do.

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