Indiana Basketball: 5 players IU should sign if the Big Ten had free agency
By Alec Lasley
Xavier TIllman (PF; Michigan State)
Indiana has lacked toughness at times in the front court and Tillman would bring exactly that.
The Michigan State big man averaged 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game a season ago from a team that made a Final Four run. And Tillman was one of the big reasons why.
Despite having good size in the front court this season, the Hoosiers lack a real shot blocker. With Juwan Morgan (1.5 BPG) gone, the leading returning shot blocker is De’Ron Davis at just 0.6 per game. Though the guards of Indiana have showed their ability to defend at a high level, every team’s defensive ability automatically becomes much better with a legit shot blocker on the roster.
Defense is not the only place that Tillman could help the Hoosiers. Tillman, just 6-foot-8, is 260 pounds of muscle and is still versatile with his skillset. While he is a very skilled back to the basket big man, he also got to the free throw line three times per game and connected at a 73 percent rate. His 127 attempts last year would’ve ranked third by a landslide on IU’s roster, just slightly behind Juwan Morgan.
Rolling out with an intimidating big such as Tillman would give the Hoosiers an immediate front court presence.