Indiana guard Grace Berger shoots during the Hoosier Hysteria festivities at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last month.
(Ella Miller/WTIU)
The Indiana men’s and women’s basketball seasons tip off next week, and if the preseason polls mean anything, it could be a good year for both Hoosier programs.
The men are ranked No. 13 and the women 11th in the Associated Press polls heading into this season.
It’s the first time since 2016 the men have been ranked in the preseason. They were also picked to win the Big Ten this season.
“When I was in school as a player, I never bought into the rankings, what the media would say about our ballclub,” said second-year head coach Mike Woodson. “You still got to go out and play the game. Hell, my senior year we were ranked No. 1, and we didn't get it done.
The Hoosiers return four starters from last year’s team, which finished 21-14 and earned an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in six years.
They’re led by senior forward and preseason first team all-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, who averaged eighteen points and eight rebounds a game last season. IU returns three other starters – forward Race Thompson and guards Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp.
“I know I got ace in the hole that can do a lot of things around the bucket, but it's going to take more than just Trace,” Woodson said. “However deep I go, 9, 10 deep, those guys gotta be ready to play and compete around him to help us win at a high level. I mean, it's just a lot. It's a lot of talent in college basketball, and you just can't fake it.”
The Hoosiers will also be relying on a freshman class that was ranked fifth in the country. It’s led by 6-foot-5 guard Jalen Hood Shifino, a five-star recruit, and his high school teammate, 6-9 forward Malik Reneau.
“All the freshmen that have come in this season, I like them because they are competitive. And Jaylen sits right at the top,” Woodson said. “I've kind of had him in the starting lineup. I've had him on the second team. Just trying to look at combinations to see who's going to start and who's going to get the minutes. But he's been a great addition to our ballclub, because he does a little bit of everything for our team.”
The Hoosiers will be tested in their pre-conference schedule. They play top-ranked North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge on Nov. 30, then back-to-back games in the middle of December against No. 17 Arizona and No. 5 Kansas.
“It gives you the opportunity to play the best some of the best teams in the country and just see where you are as a ballclub,” Woodson said.
IU opens it season Monday night at home against Morehead State.
IU women ranked No. 11
The women have been on a pretty remarkable run under ninth-year head coach Teri Moren.
They have been ranked in 58 straight AP polls and have reached the NCAA’s Elite Eight and Sweet 16 in the past two seasons.
Since taking over the program in 2014, the Hoosiers have made the NCAA Tournament four times (a fifth appearance was in store before the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to COVID). IU has also played in the WNIT twice, winning it in 2018.
That kind of sustained success is what Moren wanted to build when she left her job at Indiana State for Bloomington.
“I think it's been just a process for us to build this thing the way we've wanted it to look,” she said. “And when we sat out nine years ago, we wanted Indiana to have tradition not only on the men's side, but on the women's side.”
This year’s team is led by a pair of returning all-big Ten players in guard Grace Berger and center Mackenzie Holmes. Both have started the past three seasons and were the top two leading scorers last season.
IU lost three starters to graduation, but dipped into the transfer portal to add one of the Big Ten’s top players last season in shooting guard Sara Scalia. She led Minnesota in scoring last season with 17 points per game.
“We've been able to attract kids that are attracted to coming in and being about the team concept,” Moren said. “And it's more about we than me. And if you believe that, then Indiana is a great place for you.”
The Hoosiers open their season Tuesday night at home against Vermont.
