Things got all caps UGLY quickly for the Indiana Hoosier men's basketball team during the 2023-2024 campaign. At times, their performance was so frightening that even tuning into their contests was unbearable.
However, it is always essential to recall that the past is the past. Last season was last season, and last season is over. So while we cannot full on scrap the entire 2023-2024 season from our memory, we must move on to what is to come next season.
The first bit of bad news for the opposition is that the wing combo of Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal will be back for their 5th seasons at IU. The next is that each of Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton will also be returning to B-Town. Then you also have to throw in the fact that McDonald's All-American swingman Bryson Tucker will also be joining a depth chart that looks better and better the more that you look at it.
With each of those points being stated, the true fear within the minds of Indiana's opponents should be what comes next. With the aforementioned dominos already having fallen, Mike Woodson might just have some more magic up his sleeve.
As this article is being typed, the Hoosiers are hosting a quartet of high-quality transfer portal targets in Bloomington in an effort to continue fortifying this roster. Those four cream and crimson candidates along with their 2023-2024 statistics are as follows:
Oumar Ballo | Center | 7'0" | 260 lbs | Senior | Arizona
36 GP (36 GS) | 12.9 PPG | 10.1 RPG | 0.8 APG | 1.3 BPG | 0.9 SPG | 65.8% FG/0.0% 3/49.5% FT
Myles Rice | Guard | 6'3" | 180 lbs | Sophomore | Washington State
35 GP (35 GS) | 14.8 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 3.8 APG | 0.2 BPG | 1.6 SPG | 43.9% FG/27.5% 3/81.1% FT
Connor Hickman | 6'3" | 200 lbs | Senior | Bradley
31 GP (30 GS) | 14.5 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 2.9 APG | 0.2 BPG | 1.2 SPG | 46.7% FG/40.2% 3/70.1% FT
Pharrel Payne | 6'9" | 255 lbs | Junior | Minnesota
32 GP (19 GS) | 10.0 PPG | 6.1 RPG | 1.2 APG | 1.4 BPG | 0.3 SPG | 60.2% FG/0.0% 3/47.2% FT
While Ballo is the highest rated portal entrant of the four (and one of the most sought after bigs/players available on the market), any of these guys would be welcome additions to this team. And while they each have a plethora of suitors to select from, it does already look like two of them may be leaning towards IU.
Per one of our 247sports brethren, Myles Rice dubbed a crystal ball commit for Indiana. Hoosiers also high on Ballo’s list.
— COUGFANcom (@CougfanCOM) April 12, 2024
Indiana has received a Crystal Ball prediction from @TravisBranham_ to land the No. 1 ranked player in the country in the @247SportsPortal rankings, Arizona 7-foot center Oumar Ballo. IU is hosting Ballo for an official visit this weekend. #iubb https://t.co/k0mYGWY95i
— Jeff Rabjohns (@JeffRabjohns) April 12, 2024
We are not sure exactly what will transpire over the course of the next few weeks, but we are certain that things could begin to look very scary for anyone scheduled to face off with Mike Woodson's Indiana Hoosiers in 2024-2025. Nobody is considering this team a serious championship contender at this point in the offseason, but that perception could be drastically altered depending on how things play out in these next few days/weeks.