The Inside the Hall Mailbag: Style of play, expectations, grading IU’s portal performance and more
The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions sent to us via X (@insidethehall), via email, submitted via our community and via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can.
@rdaaja2023 writes: Do you anticipate woody/dolson schedule marquee non-conference games this year despite poor results last two years considering the roster additions?
Indiana will play in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis in November in the Bahamas. That event could produce multiple marquee non-conference games for the Hoosiers.
The bracket has yet to be announced, but potential opponents include Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Creighton, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Davidson.
For reference, here is each team’s current ranking for next season, according to Bart Torvik: Gonzaga (No. 4), Creighton (No. 6), Arizona (No. 17), Oklahoma (No. 63), West Virginia (No. 88), Louisville (No. 98) and Davidson (No. 227).
Beyond that, it wouldn’t be surprising if Indiana has another notable non-conference game on its schedule. So, to answer your question, yes, Indiana will play marquee non-conference games in the 2024-25 season. And remember, the Kentucky series resumes in 2025 in Lexington.
Mark Robbins writes: Will Woodson still try playing two bigs, Malik and Ballo, with a slow, no-mobility offense? Or will he play a more updated version with Ballo, two shooting wings and Rice and Carlyle?
The offense should look more like the 2022-23 season version for Indiana next season. While already forgotten by most, that group of Hoosiers had the 28th-best offense in the country, with the ball in the hands of Jalen Hood-Schifino for a ton of possessions.
While there was no excuse for last season’s offensive performance – the Hoosiers ranked 105th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency – the guard talent wasn’t up to par. That was a roster construction problem and one that Mike Woodson has worked to address this offseason with the additions of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.
Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau will likely both start for Indiana next season but Ballo will play a lower volume of minutes than Kel’el Ware did. That leaves more flexibility for playing smaller lineups at times and going with just one big.
Mike Hamm writes: With the roster what it is, and the expectations that are coming with it, what is Woodson’s future if they fail to live up to them? Will he be fired? And conversely, if they meet or exceed them, will he receive an extension? Will the fans he has “alienated” come back to him, or will they remain distant?
Based on the current roster, it’s reasonable to expect Indiana to be competing for a Big Ten title and more than a second-round NCAA tournament appearance in year four of Mike Woodson’s tenure.
If those objectives are not met, it’s hard to see a future for Woodson in Bloomington. Four seasons without at least a trip to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament would be hard to view as success, even though the overall results have been an upgrade from his predecessor, Archie Miller. If those objectives are met or exceeded, an extension could be discussed if Woodson wants to coach beyond his current contract.
As for the fanbase, winning basketball games cures a lot of things. Most fans are currently behind the program and want to see next season’s team win big. I think the “true fans” comment by Woodson rubbed many people the wrong way and it’ll be interesting to see what outreach, if any, he does to try to reach those alienated by those remarks.
Darlene Sims writes: Will this year’s team be going on a trip for bonding prior to school starting, etc?
Indiana took a foreign trip to the Bahamas in the preseason in 2021. However, NCAA rules state that such a trip can only occur once every four years, so the Hoosiers are not eligible for a foreign tour again until 2025.
Hoosier Jake writes: How many legitimate NBA prospects do you think are currently on the roster?
The two answers to start with are Mackenzie Mgbako and Bryson Tucker.
Mgbako was viewed as a potential one-and-done candidate but has wisely opted to return for a second season to build on a productive freshman season. Next summer’s draft is deeper and more talented, so even with an outstanding sophomore season, it will be challenging for Mgbako to become a first-round pick.
Tucker is a consensus top-25 player in the country, a McDonald’s All-American and will turn 18 this summer. He’ll need some time to develop, but NBA personnel will monitor him closely.
Other pieces on the roster with varying levels of pro potential include Kanaan Carlyle, Myles Rice, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo. Of that group, Carlyle is probably the most intriguing because he’s the youngest and has a ton of upside.
Great Dane writes: Assuming Langdon Hatton does commit, what letter grade do you give the coaching staff for their portal work?
An A would be fair. Most transfer portal rankings have Indiana near the top and the coaching staff has landed three high-impact additions in Rice, Carlyle, and Ballo.
Luke Goode was also a solid addition because he brings shooting ability and Big Ten experience and is considered an excellent locker-room addition.
Hatton would bring needed depth and size behind Ballo and Reneau in the post.
William Barbrick writes: With our new additions to the team this year and Purdue without Edey how do you think we match up with Purdue next season?
Every team, including Indiana, will match up better with Purdue next season. That’s no slight on Purdue’s returning players or on Matt Painter; it’s more of a recognition of how great a college player Zach Edey was.
No player in college basketball put his opponent at more of a disadvantage than Edey. He dominated games in the post, was a deterrent in the post because of his size and knew how to find shooters on the perimeter for open 3s.
Purdue will still have excellent guard play led by Braden Smith, but Indiana should be far better equipped to compete there with Rice and Carlyle. In the post, Indiana will have an advantage with Ballo, who should be the most physical post player in the league next winter.
The Boilermakers are in line for a step back – Edey is a tremendous loss – but will still be a top-25 team and one of the favorites to win the league. That’s a credit to a solid returning nucleus and also to Painter, one of the best coaches in the country.
Chi-Hoosier 13 writes: Do you think Jakai Newton plays in more than 5 games this year?
All indications are that Newton’s rehab has progressed well and he looked to be moving very well in warmups in some of Indiana’s games towards the end of the season.
Yes, I believe he will play in more than five games this season. His role remains to be seen – the fight for backcourt minutes will be intense – but Newton has the talent to be in the mix for minutes as a likely backup.
Swish writes: How overlooked is Bryson Tucker right now? He appears to be the best NBA prospect on the roster, but I don’t expect him to start.
I was thinking about this the other day. Tucker committed in late March and fans were thrilled. But the news was quickly put on the back burner as the portal commitments began to take over.
I agree that Tucker won’t start and might not play more than 12 to 15 minutes a game. It’s also worth mentioning that he doesn’t turn 18 until July, so he’ll begin college workouts as a 17-year-old. He has a lot of work to do with his body and strength to get ready for the rigors of the Big Ten.
But he appears to have the tools to be solid defensively from day one, which could help him see the floor early on. His midrange scoring talent is evident when watching him on film. It’s an excellent position for the Indiana coaching staff to be in, as they can bring a five-star prospect along slowly as a freshman and not have to throw him into the fire from day one.
johnny 2 caps writes: Do you see the adidas renewal as positive, negative, or not really a factor?
Non-factor. NIL has changed the game in terms of how programs acquire players. Shoe companies had a much greater impact on player decisions prior to the NIL era. Having a healthy NIL setup has knocked down many of those barriers for many schools.
I honestly think the fanbase’s frustration with Adidas largely stems from the apparel that is made available for purchase. IU and Adidas haven’t done a great job with that in the past and it’s often hard to find adidas-branded IU apparel to purchase. It’s a legitimate complaint and IU and Adidas should really work to fix those issues.
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