Indiana Basketball: 4 bold predictions for next season

3. Trayce Jackson-Davis wins Big Ten POY

With the assumption that Jackson-Davis returns, which he most likely will, he will have a great chance at being in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year.

Names like Cassius Winston, Jalen Smith, Lamar Stevens and Ayo Dosunmu are all either graduating or expected to leave for the NBA, so there aren’t a lot of dominant upperclassmen returning.

Clearly the best player for Indiana this past season, the freshman big was also already one of the better players in the conference. One thing that kept his stats lower than some other players was his usage rate. With a rate of just 21.5 percent, only one year since 2010 has the leader usage rate in the conference been below 30 percent (Brandon Taylor in 2015-16).

If Archie Miller can find a better offensive system where Jackson-Davis can get the ball much more than he did this year, Davis’s numbers of 13.5 points could be up near 17 a game.

The one name that could impact Trayce Jackson-Davis and his potential Player of the Year possibilities is Luka Garza. As the reigning Player of the Year in the conference, it is not a sure thing he goes pro.