It was a chaotic scene last Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. I was excited to cover the entire Big Ten Tournament, before things abruptly changed. During the Minnesota and Northwestern game, we received word that fans would not be allowed to attend the rest of the tournament, but media could still be there. The Hoosiers then defeated Nebraska, presumably sealing their fate for the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska’s coach Fred Hoiberg then left the game because of an illness, which brought mass panic to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After the game, there were security guards everywhere telling us in the media where we could not go. Archie Miller was the only person to show up for any post game press conference coverage. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
The following day, cancellations began coming in waves. No conference tournament. No NCAA tournament.
Seniors devastated. An entire season wasted. It wasn’t all for nothing, but to many, it sure felt like it in that moment, and maybe even still does.
So now, as we reflect on Indiana’s season — it’s hard to say whether or not it was a success. This team was finally about to break their NCAA Tournament drought, and honestly, they would have had a decent chance to make some noise. Could they have lost in the first round? Absolutely. Could they have won a few games as well? Depending on the draw, I would say yes. Especially if they fell in the projected 10 or 11 seed range. But it’s something we’ll never know.
For the season, the Hoosiers finished at 20-12. They were basically a “slightly” better team in each aspect of the game compared to last season. Many of their players also showed improvement, though marginal.
On the one hand, you could argue: “This is year 3 of Archie Miller, and I’m not seeing much development or improvement.”
On the other hand, you could argue: “The team continues to improve, and Archie still doesn’t have his full team yet.”
Several college basketball experts think Indiana is on the rise. They have a good, or possibly great, recruiting class coming next season — including a bunch of Indiana boys. The Hoosiers are also expected to return the bulk of their roster, including their best player Trayce Jackson-Davis. Bringing back Davis, Phinisee, Durham, Smith, Hunter, Brunk, and Thompson is quite a luxury, especially if they develop and you pair them with good freshmen.
The big question will be: Will next year’s class include 5-star standout Khristian Lander, or will he be coming the following season? Lander wants to reclassify and play next season so he can play with Jackson-Davis and “dominate the Big Ten.” Will the school shutdowns impact Lander’s ability to do that? That remains to be seen.
Whether Lander gets to reclassify or not, Archie Miller will have his most talented team, by far, in his fourth season next year. Next season is the one to judge Archie Miller on. It will be a team that “should” be top-15 caliber from start to finish. If they underachieve, the seat could start getting warmer, or even turn hot pretty quickly. But consider this: If Indiana gets good next year, they may stay good for years to come. The way Miller has been recruiting, it could be a beautiful thing in Bloomington when it finally starts to click.
This season ended abruptly, which is very unfortunate — especially for seniors DeRon Davis and Devonte Green. But there could be brighter days ahead for the cream and crimson, and this season may have been step one of the process.
Tyler Smith covers the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Hoosier basketball for Indy Sports Legends. Smith is also the youth pastor at New Hope Christian Church, and the varsity girls’ basketball coach at Crawfordsville High School.
