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Indiana Basketball: Best Hoosier defenders since 2000

By Trevor Gersmehl

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 7: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers defends against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 7: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers defends against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Today we are listing the best defenders to play for Indiana Basketball since 2000.

Indiana Basketball has had many impressive defensive players in the past two decades, and we are going to discuss the five best in-depth. Be sure to check out our other lists, including best shooters, best dunks, and best dunkers, and shout at us on Twitter or Facebook if you think we missed something.

That being said, let’s get into the meat of it.

#5: Robert Vaden

Robert Vaden was a guard from Indianapolis who began his career with the Hoosiers in 2004. Vaden had himself a very nice freshman season, averaging 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He impressed enough to earn a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team, but –perhaps even more impressive — earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defense team.

Vaden only spent two years at Indiana before transferring to The University of Alabama-Birmingham after the firing of coach Mike Davis. He may not have spent much time at Indiana, but he was enough of a defensive force to earn a spot on this list.

In addition to averaging 1.4 steals over his two years as a Hoosier, Vaden contributed 2.5 defensive win shares. Defensive win shares are an analytic stat used to measure the number of estimated games a player’s defensive performance contributes to his team’s win total. Vaden did not do enough in this department (largely due to his decision to transfer) to earn a higher spot on this list.

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