Indiana basketball is just a few days away from beginning summer workouts with its overhauled roster. Here are the Hoosiers top-10 projected contributors next season, according to Bart Torvik.
Jared Kelly
Indiana basketball will be on campus in just a few days for the start of summer workouts, which means the first chance for IU coach Mike Woodson and his staff to see their overhauled roster in action. In total, Indiana entered this offseason with just six returning scholarship players, but after less than two months the Hoosiers signed the No. 2-ranked transfer class along with a 2024 McDonald's All-American.
These next few months leading into the fall semester will be crucial for Indiana as it attempts to build on-court chemistry and come together. Perhaps more than any of Woodson's previous three seasons, the Hoosiers have significant talent at their disposal with a group of newcomers whofill different needs. However, it will be Woodson's job to ensure all of the pieces fit seamlessly.
READ:Indiana's rebuilt roster is clearly talented, perhaps its most in years — but the pieces also make sense
With a frontcourtwhich features Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo and Langdon Hatton, and a backcourt which includes Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Trey Galloway, Luke Goode, Bryson Tucker and more, the Hoosiers should have no shortage of talent to choose from. The biggest question, though, is how does Woodson plan to deploy his new-look roster and avoid another repeat of last season?
Ahead of the start of summer workouts and impending 2024-25 season, Bart Torvik's analytics offered projections for each of Indiana's projected top-10 contributors next season.
Here are Indiana's top-10 projected contributors next season according to Bart Torvik:
Malik Reneau — 16.4 pts, 7.3 rebs, 2.9asts | 80% of minutes, 24% usage, 113 offensive rating
Myles Rice — 13.6 pts, 3.8 rebs, 2.9 asts | 77% of minutes, 22% usage, 104 offensive rating
Mackenzie Mgbako — 11.3 pts, 4.5 rebs, 1.4 asts | 67% of minutes, 22% usage, 112 offensive rating
Trey Galloway — 10.5 pts, 3.3 rebs, 3.4 asts | 73% of minutes, 17% usage, 111 offensive rating
Oumar Ballo — 8.8 pts, 7.7 rebs, 1.0 asts | 62% of minutes, 20% usage, 121 offensive rating
Kanaan Carlyle — 7.0 pts, 2.5 rebs, 1.8 asts | 51% of minutes, 22% usage, 103 offensive rating
Luke Goode — 4.4 pts, 3.0 rebs, 0.6 asts | 36% of minutes, 13% usage, 125 offensive rating
Bryson Tucker — 4.2 pts, 2.8 rebs, 1.0 asts | 29% of minutes, 19% usage, 107 offensive rating
Gabe Cupps — 1.2 pts, 0.1 rebs, 0.7 asts | 17% of minutes, 10% usage, 111 offensive rating
Anthony Leal — 0.2 pts, 1.1 rebs, 0.6 asts | 8% of minutes, 11% usage, 111 offensive rating
Not included/no projections — Jakai Newton, Langdon Hatton
---
Comments:Torvik's projections are mostly on par with the consensus among the fanbase, at least in terms of the top-10 contributors next season. While the likes of redshirt freshman guard Jakai Newton, sophom*ore guard Gabe Cupps and freshman wing Bryson Tucker have the potential to exceed their projections, the rest of the metrics are seemingly in line with players' previous track records.
It's not shocking to see returning junior forward Malik Reneauprojected as IU's leading scorer and highest-usage player. Entering his third season in Bloomington, the former Montverde product made significant strides last season as a full-time starter and evolved into a reliable post scorer. Reneau's biggest hurdle to meeting his lofty projections, though, will be his development on the defensive end, specifically staying out of foul trouble and earning the trust of the coaching staff to play extended minutes.
Fortunately, the addition of Ballo next to Reneau should create one of the nation's top starting froncourt duos. Although Ballo is exclusively a back-to-the-basket big man — Reneau's perimeter game will need to continue making strides to compensate — the Arizona transfer's rebounding and shot-altering prowess cannot be overlooked. There will be few teams in the nation who will be able to match the size, talent and production of Reneau and Ballo.
On the wing, Mackenzie Mgbako is arguably the favorite to take the biggest leap in production of any Hoosier next season. Mgbako's decision to return to IU for a second season was a major offseason development for the Hoosiers, and his play late last season inspired confidence in a potentially huge sophom*ore year. As Mgbako became more comfortable in IU's offense, his 3-point shot became more consistent and his aggressiveness in creating shots off the dribble was apparent. As long as Mgbako improves defensively, he'll have a great chance to out-do his current projections.
In the backcourt, the trio ofWashington State transfer Myles Rice, Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle and returning fifth-year senior Trey Galloway still needs sorting out. Galloway was IU's most productive guard last season and handled the burden of becoming IU's lead ball-handler as well as fans could've hoped, but with Rice and Carlyle entering the mix next season, it should take many of those responsibilities off of Galloway's shoulders and allow him to settle into a more comfortable role as a lead defender and secondary shot-creator.
Rice will start the season as Indiana's point guard — that's what he was brought to Bloomington to do. The reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was terrific at Washington State last year and showed clear glimpses of what he can do for a team as the primary offensive initiator. Rice's 3-point shot will have to come around for IU's offense to mesh well, but that's less of a concern after a full year of college basketball under his belt.Rice could far exceed the projected22 percent usage projection from Torvikgiven Woodson's dependency on his point guards.
Carlyle could be the true X-factor of IU's backcourt heading into next season. After averaging11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his freshman season at Stanford, the former top-60 recruit will look to become a more efficient scorer as a sophom*ore, especially from the perimeter. Carlyle shot just 32.0 percent from 3-point range last season, but he projects as a more reliable shot-maker as he gains experience and development. Carlyle's athleticism and versatility, though, is what Indiana has lacked at the 2-guard in previous seasons, and he should be ready to immediately step into a top scoring role.
Rounding out the final four contributors, Illinois transfer Luke Goode and incoming freshman Bryson Tucker are the most logical players to see the most court time off the bench. Goode was brought to IU to shoot the ball, and his three years of success at Illinois bodes well as Woodson looks to find more dependable 3-point shooting. Tucker is the wildcard of the bunch as the variance in his first-year expectations is all over the place, depending on who you ask. The 2024 McDonald's All-American has a college-ready body and has shown a plethora of scoring moves in his arsenal, but his ability to shoot from the perimeter might ultimately decide if he outplays Torvik's projections.
