Indiana Basketball: 3 key areas the Hoosiers must improve on from last season

3. Offensive Rebounding

We are well aware of the struggles that Indiana had on the glass last season, but for this year it should be a different situation.

While injuries piled up one game after another, the Hoosiers were left with Juwan Morgan playing the center position, and while he is one of the toughest players out on the floor at any given moment, he is extremely undersized. After Morgan, it was injury prone De’Ron Davis and then inexperienced Clifton Moore and Race Thompson.

Looking ahead to this season, it is well-known the depth of the front court and the ability to mix and match multiple different lineups. With Joey Brunk transferring in from Butler, he not only brings an upperclassman mentality and body to the Hoosiers, but he also brings a high-efficiency level on the glass.

Brunk had a 14.5 offensive rebounding percentage last season which would have ranked first by a wide margin on Indiana’s team last year, the next closest being Morgan at 9.9 percent.

Adding to the mix is freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis who averaged 9.4 rebounds a game as a senior, and with his bouncing ability in the paint, his athleticism will be a huge plus to a team that lacked it in the front court last year.

With just 9.7 offensive rebounds a game last season, ranked 10th in the conference, the additions of these two with a fully healthy Race Thompson, will provide a huge boost to an offense that will most likely again not be a tremendous shooting team.