The Contained in the Corridor Mailbag is a group of questions despatched to us by way of X (@insidethehall), by way of e mail, submitted by way of our group and by way of our Fb web page. Submit your questions and we’ll reply as many as we will.
@rdaaja2023 writes: Do you anticipate woody/dolson schedule marquee non-conference video games this 12 months regardless of poor outcomes final two years contemplating the roster additions?
Indiana will play within the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis in November within the Bahamas. That occasion might produce a number of marquee non-conference video games for the Hoosiers.
The bracket has but to be introduced, however potential opponents embrace Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Creighton, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Davidson.
For reference, right here is every staff’s present rating for subsequent season, in response 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).
Past that, it wouldn’t be shocking if Indiana has one other notable non-conference sport on its schedule. So, to reply your query, sure, Indiana will play marquee non-conference video games within the 2024-25 season. And bear in mind, the Kentucky sequence resumes in 2025 in Lexington.
Mark Robbins writes: Will Woodson nonetheless strive enjoying two bigs, Malik and Ballo, with a gradual, no-mobility offense? Or will he play a extra up to date model with Ballo, two taking pictures wings and Rice and Carlyle?
The offense ought to look extra just like the 2022-23 season model for Indiana subsequent season. Whereas already forgotten by most, that group of Hoosiers had the Twenty eighth-best offense within the nation, with the ball within the fingers of Jalen Hood-Schifino for a ton of possessions.
Whereas there was no excuse for final season’s offensive efficiency – the Hoosiers ranked a hundred and fifth within the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive effectivity – the guard expertise wasn’t as much as par. That was a roster building downside and one which Mike Woodson has labored to handle this offseason with the additions of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.
Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau will probably each begin for Indiana subsequent season however Ballo will play a decrease quantity of minutes than Kel’el Ware did. That leaves extra flexibility for taking part in smaller lineups at occasions and going with only one massive.
Mike Hamm writes: With the roster what it’s, and the expectations which are coming with it, what’s Woodson’s future in the event that they fail to stay as much as them? Will he be fired? And conversely, in the event that they meet or exceed them, will he obtain an extension? Will the followers he has “alienated” come again to him, or will they continue to be distant?
Based mostly on the present roster, it’s affordable to count on Indiana to be competing for a Massive Ten title and greater than a second-round NCAA match look in 12 months 4 of Mike Woodson’s tenure.
If these goals will not be met, it’s laborious to see a future for Woodson in Bloomington. 4 seasons with out not less than a visit to the second weekend of the NCAA match could be laborious to view as success, regardless that the general outcomes have been an improve from his predecessor, Archie Miller. If these goals are met or exceeded, an extension may very well be mentioned if Woodson needs to teach past his present contract.
As for the fanbase, successful basketball video games cures a number of issues. Most followers are presently behind this system and wish to see subsequent season’s staff win massive. I believe the “true followers” remark by Woodson rubbed many individuals the improper approach and it’ll be fascinating to see what outreach, if any, he does to attempt to attain these alienated by these remarks.
Darlene Sims writes: Will this 12 months’s staff be occurring a visit for bonding prior to highschool beginning, and so on?
Indiana took a overseas journey to the Bahamas within the preseason in 2021. Nonetheless, NCAA guidelines state that such a visit can solely happen as soon as each 4 years, so the Hoosiers will not be eligible for a overseas tour once more till 2025.
Hoosier Jake writes: What number of reputable NBA prospects do you suppose are presently on the roster?
The 2 solutions to begin with are Mackenzie Mgbako and Bryson Tucker.
Mgbako was seen as a possible one-and-done candidate however has properly opted to return for a second season to construct on a productive freshman season. Subsequent summer season’s draft is deeper and extra proficient, so even with an impressive sophomore season, it will likely be difficult for Mgbako to turn out to be a first-round choose.
Tucker is a consensus top-25 participant within the nation, a McDonald’s All-American and can flip 18 this summer season. He’ll want a while to develop, however NBA personnel will monitor him carefully.
Different items on the roster with various ranges of professional potential embrace Kanaan Carlyle, Myles Rice, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo. Of that group, Carlyle might be essentially the most intriguing as a result of he’s the youngest and has a ton of upside.
Nice Dane writes: Assuming Langdon Hatton does commit, what letter grade do you give the teaching workers for his or her portal work?
An A could be truthful. Most switch portal rankings have Indiana close to the highest and the teaching workers has landed three high-impact additions in Rice, Carlyle, and Ballo.
Luke Goode was additionally a strong addition as a result of he brings taking pictures potential and Massive Ten expertise and is taken into account a wonderful locker-room addition.
Hatton would deliver wanted depth and dimension behind Ballo and Reneau within the put up.
William Barbrick writes: With our new additions to the staff this 12 months and Purdue with out Edey how do you suppose we match up with Purdue subsequent season?
Each staff, together with Indiana, will match up higher with Purdue subsequent season. That’s no slight on Purdue’s returning gamers or on Matt Painter; it’s extra of a recognition of how nice a university participant Zach Edey was.
No participant in school basketball put his opponent at extra of a drawback than Edey. He dominated video games within the put up, was a deterrent within the put up due to his dimension and knew discover shooters on the perimeter for open 3s.
Purdue will nonetheless have glorious guard play led by Braden Smith, however Indiana needs to be much better outfitted to compete there with Rice and Carlyle. Within the put up, Indiana can have a bonus with Ballo, who needs to be essentially the most bodily put up participant within the league subsequent winter.
The Boilermakers are in line for a step again – Edey is an incredible loss – however will nonetheless be a top-25 staff and one of many favorites to win the league. That’s a credit score to a strong returning nucleus and likewise to Painter, among the best coaches within the nation.
Chi-Hoosier 13 writes: Do you suppose Jakai Newton performs in additional than 5 video games this 12 months?
All indications are that Newton’s rehab has progressed properly and he seemed to be transferring very properly in warmups in a few of Indiana’s video games in the direction of the tip of the season.
Sure, I imagine he’ll play in additional than 5 video games this season. His position stays to be seen – the struggle for backcourt minutes might be intense – however Newton has the expertise to be within the combine for minutes as a possible backup.
Swish writes: How missed is Bryson Tucker proper now? He seems to be the most effective NBA prospect on the roster, however I don’t count on him to begin.
I used to be desirous about this the opposite day. Tucker dedicated in late March and followers have been thrilled. However the information was rapidly placed on the again burner because the portal commitments started to take over.
I agree that Tucker received’t begin and won’t play greater than 12 to fifteen minutes a sport. It’s additionally price mentioning that he doesn’t flip 18 till July, so he’ll start school exercises as a 17-year-old. He has a number of work to do along with his physique and power to prepare for the pains of the Massive Ten.
However he seems to have the instruments to be strong defensively from day one, which might assist him see the ground early on. His midrange scoring expertise is obvious when watching him on movie. It’s a wonderful place for the Indiana teaching workers to be in, as they will deliver a five-star prospect alongside slowly as a freshman and never should throw him into the fireplace from day one.
johnny 2 caps writes: Do you see the adidas renewal as optimistic, destructive, or probably not an element?
Non-factor. NIL has modified the sport by way of how applications purchase gamers. Shoe corporations had a a lot better influence on participant choices previous to the NIL period. Having a wholesome NIL setup has knocked down a lot of these obstacles for a lot of colleges.
I actually suppose the fanbase’s frustration with Adidas largely stems from the attire that’s made out there for buy. IU and Adidas haven’t finished an important job with that previously and it’s usually laborious to search out adidas-branded IU attire to buy. It’s a reputable grievance and IU and Adidas ought to actually work to repair these points.
Filed to: Contained in the Corridor Mailbag
