Another talented Indiana team failed to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, and Tom Crean is feeling the heat in Bloomington.
Crean has yet to make it beyond the Sweet 16 with the Hoosiers, but next year’s roster likely won’t afford him any excuses for a letdown. Indiana returns their top four scorers from a year ago, and adds one of the most highly sought after recruits in the nation.
The Hoosiers are up next in our Recruit and Reload series.
Yogi Ferrell will remain at Indiana for his senior year & not enter the 2015 NBA Draft. #GoIU #IUBB pic.twitter.com/4xhwDknXdg
— IndianaMBB (@IndianaMBB) April 26, 2015
ICYMI: @JBlackmon2 is returning to #iubb for his sophomore season! Transcript: http://t.co/D6lwWi1gam http://t.co/hVliOCuBbR
— IndianaMBB (@IndianaMBB) April 23, 2015
Key Losses: None
Possible Losses: None
Key Returners: Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr., Troy Williams, Robert Johnson
Key Newcomers: Thomas Bryant (five-star, center), Juwan Morgan (three-star, power forward)
Breakdown: With the recent announcements from Blackmon Jr. and Ferrell, that they will return to school, Indiana fans are clamoring for a deep NCAA Tournament run next season. The Big 10 could start the year with as many as seven teams in the AP Top 25, and Indiana should be one of them. Few teams in the country return as much fire-power, offensively, as the Hoosiers do with Ferrell, Blackmon Jr., and Williams. Together, those three averaged 47 points per game, accounting for 61-percent of IU’s per game scoring on the year. As good as they were defensively, the Hoosiers got killed defensively, and it was largely due to three factors. First, they couldn’t alter shots at the rim on a consistent basis. Second, they were porous at getting into passing lanes and taking opponents out of their offense. Lastly, they weren’t effective at finishing off a defensive possession with a defensive rebound. All of those things will have to change in 2015-2016 if they are to have a break through season. Bryant and Morgan should help with the rebounding, and Bryant will alter plenty of shots in the paint. He’ll also give IU a true low post scorer, something they lacked a year ago.
