Indiana Basketball: Breaking down IU’s toughest competition for Khristian Lander

It is the biggest recruiting season in college basketball and the Indiana basketball program continues to make strides with a top 2021 guard.

Khristian Lander is one of the top guards in the entire country, and ranked the top guard in the 2021 class. As part of what could be the best Indiana high school recruiting class in history, Lander leads the way as a high-major impact freshman as soon as he steps on campus, and the Indiana basketball program is doing everything they can to ensure he ends up in Bloomington.

Lander currently plays a year up on the 17U Indiana Elite which plays on the Adidas Gauntlet and he is on his way to Los Angeles as part of the Adidas Finale. Part of a talented Elite roster, Lander is teammates with two top 2020 Indiana targets, Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal.

The Hoosiers have made Lander a top priority when it comes to any of the next three classes and continue to show him that they need him rather than just want him.

According to Rivals Corey Evans, Indiana was the first call Lander received when the class of 2021 was able to have direct phone contact with college coaches on June 15.

Also mentioned in the article is three schools that are standing out for Lander. Indiana is one, and Purdue and Louisville are the other two.

While Indiana may need him the most out of all three programs, Purdue and Louisville certainly have national prominence around the college basketball world and can draw him away from Bloomington.

Which program would he fit best with, let’s break down the two other options for Lander and how they could impact Indiana’s chance at landing the five-star guard.