Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Top 20 Indiana basketball players of all-time

By Connor O’Keefe

Former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight . (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight . (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 20
Next
Indiana basketball
Cody Zeller #40 of the Indiana Hoosiers hangs on the rim after a dunk (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Indiana basketball career stats: 16.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.2 STL, 1.3 BLK, 59.2 FG%

If I were to just base this off of my own personal experience and my life span of watching Indiana basketball, Cody Zeller would be a top-five player in IU history, no doubt. Obviously, there’s more to it than that. In the early 2010s, Zeller was one of the most dominant players in the Big Ten and in college basketball.

After his Big Ten Rookie of the Year season in 2011-12, Zeller was selected as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year in 2012-13 and considered one of the top players on the watch list for the Wooden Award. During his two seasons in Bloomington, the Hoosier-born big man led Indiana to a 56-16 (.778) record, a number one overall AP Poll ranking, and two Sweet 16 appearances.

On his way to becoming one of the best big men in Indiana basketball history, Zeller ranks in the top 10 in the following statistical categories in Indiana basketball history, despite only suiting up for the Hoosiers in two total seasons:

  • Defensive rebounds: 337 (tied for 10th)
  • Steals per game: 1.2 (9th)
  • Player Efficiency Rating: 30.6 (1st)
  • Field goal percentage (single season): 62.3% in 2011-12 (1st)
  • Free throws made (single season): 196 in 2012-13 (6th)
  • Free throw attempts (single season): 259 in 2012-13 (5th)
  • Offensive rebounds (single season): 101 in 2012-13 (1st) & 87 in 2011-12 (tied for 8th)
  • Defensive rebounds (single season): 188 in 2012-13 (8th)
  • Player Efficiency Rating (single season): 31.3 in 2011-12 (1st) & 29.8 in 2012-13 (3rd)

After his sophomore campaign, Zeller entered his name in the 2013 NBA Draft and was selected fourth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. Though he’s currently a free agent due to many injuries, Zeller spent nine seasons in the NBA and has scored 4,202 total points and grabbed 2,949 total rebounds.

Home/Indiana Basketball