Writing for College Hoops Today, Jon Rothstein named five 2023 Final Four dark horse candidates and included Mike Woodson and the Indiana basketball program as one of those candidates for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
Why Indiana basketball is not a dark horse for the 2023 Final Four
My instant reaction to this article by Rothstein is as follows: slow down there. During the 2021-22 season, Indiana basketball continued to show its weaknesses from time to time, with shooting from behind the arc, finishing games, and even competing in the Big Ten alone.
The Hoosiers ranked 211th in all of Division I in three-point shooting percentage (33.3 pct) last season, along with finishing 264th in all of Division I in three-pointers made (206). Has Mike Woodson and the Indiana basketball program really addressed these issues in the offseason? Not really. Incoming freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau, Kaleb Banks, and CJ Gunn are not known as “knock down shooters” coming into Bloomington. Nobody was added from the transfer portal and the difference-maker for the upcoming season will be the shooting ability of Miller Kopp, Tamar Bates, and Race Thompson.
While I believe the improvements and return of Trayce Jackson-Davis allows this Hoosiers team to be considered one of the more experienced and talented rosters in the country, the fact of the matter is that IU has not proven that they can win in big games consistently.
If you only look at the end of the season and conference tournament, Indiana has a chance to threaten a lot of teams based on how they played against Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa in the Big Ten tournament, but if you look prior to the end-of-season run they had, the Hoosiers lost seven of nine and four of five on the road. Inconsistency at its finest.
Why Indiana basketball is a dark horse for the 2023 Final Four
The talent and experience of the Indiana basketball program gives the Hoosiers a chance against any program in the country this upcoming season. If Jalen Hood-Schifino shows up and shows out game-by-game as a freshman, Mike Woodson’s team has a real shot to win the Big Ten and make some noise in March Madness.
Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson are always going to be the consistent part of IU, but if Jackson-Davis and Thompson can both extend their range and start threatening teams as a jump shooter, that only adds more layers to the roster itself.
It’s funny when you think about the Indiana basketball roster for the upcoming season, because it’s easy to forget about how much talent the Hoosiers have off the bench with Jordan Geronimo, Tamar Bates, Trey Galloway, and Malik Reneau. Jackson-Davis and Thompson should not be playing 35+ minutes per night if those younger players can keep the offense afloat with those guys on the bench.
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— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) September 10, 2022
With the experience from his first season, Mike Woodson comes into season two in Bloomington after going 21-14 and taking the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Tournament since 2016. With one year of experience under his belt, Woodson has a chance to lead this program to a Sweet 16 or better if players gel together and if the development of the offseason shows improvements among the current players.