In his latest preseason power rankings, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein placed the Indiana Hoosiers as the No. 15 team in the Big Ten Conference after an offseason overhaul and coaching change.
On his CBS Sports Inside College Basketball podcast, Rothstein predicts Indiana will finish 15th in the Big Ten this season, ahead of only Rutgers, Minnesota and Penn State.
"“It’s hard to get a gauge on the Hoosiers right now.”"Jon Rothstein
Rothstein’s had a lot to say about what Indiana basketball has incoming this 2025-26 season.
“A lot of people are going to look at this and say well how is Indiana 15?,” Rothstein said. “I’m just studying Indiana’s roster, and I’m looking at the makeup of things, and I see a slew of players while productive, who are all coming without a great deal of power conference experience.
“Until you see it on the court, it’s tough for me to put Indiana above certain teams.
“Only three players on Indiana’s roster — Tucker DeVries, Conor Enright, and Sam Alexis — have tangible power conference experience.
Indiana finished the season with a 19-13 record missing the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season under former head coach Mike Woodson.
Darian DeVries led the West Virginia Mountaineers to a seventh place finish in the Big 12 and a 19-13 record, and though they were a controversial omission from the NCAA Tournament, he took them from 9 wins the season before.
On the flip side Rothstein has Purdue to win the Big Ten, and list the rival Boilermakers as a top four team nationally. Purdue is followed by Michigan and UCLA in the Big Ten and his preseason first team All-Big Ten honors go as follows:
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
- Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
- Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
- Donovan Dent, UCLA
- Braden Smith, Purdue