Indiana Basketball: Will Archie Miller silence critics with his 2020 recruiting class?

Could the 2020 recruiting class for the Indiana Basketball program quietly be a very important one for Archie Miller? One recruiting analyst thinks so.

Archie Miller has brought in two straight McDonald’s All-Americans, who also rank as the highest Big Ten recruit for their year, and yet people are still questioning his fit for the Indiana basketball program.

He enters his third season at the helm and looks to bring in another talented recruiting class, but  while they are favored to land some of the top in-state talent, some are worried that due to a “down” in-state class when it comes to superstars, that Miller will continue to have subpar seasons.

Currently with zero commits for the 2020 class, there are three targets that could all wind up committing to Indiana by the end of the calendar year. Four-star forward Matt Cross could be the first domino to fall though, as he has been open about wanting to announce his decision in August and has Indiana, South Carolina and Miami (FL) out in front in his recruitment.

Eric Bossi of Rivals had this to say about Miller and how he has faired in recruiting so far.

"“Not a bad start on the recruiting trail. Unfortunately, the wins haven’t followed as the Hoosiers have missed the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons. Needless to say, the pressure to make it back this year is one while no 2020 recruit can help with that, I’m wondering if the pressure to return IU to past glory will have any kind of impact on how he attacks the 2020 class…. I know this, Miller should be at least a little relieved that there’s not a must-get local player he’s got to land.”"

While the Hoosiers are favored for guards Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway, they are also in the mix for four-stars Caleb Love, D.J. Steward, Hassan Diarra, Jalen Bridges, and Zach Loveday, amongst others.

There is no question Indiana needs to connect and land a couple of these targets, but with only two players graduating next year, there may not be a need for a large 2020 class.