[IUFR] Lingering Concerns Despite Legitimate Optimism of IU's Rebuilt Roster

Coach Adragna is excited about Indiana's rebuilt roster. Who isn't? But there are a few areas where concerns still linger as he projects forward to the 2024-25 season.

As we look ahead to the 2024-25 season, the Indiana basketball team appears poised for a significant improvement.

With a roster that looks far stronger and more balanced than the one that closed out last season, fans and analysts have a palpable sense of optimism. The additions and developments over the offseason have bolstered hopes for a standout year.

And while some IU fans were disappointed that the Hoosiers’ rebuilt roster only checked in at #31 in Bart Torvik’s recently released 2025 projections, the stark reality is that represents a 52-spot improvement over Indiana’s final place (#83) in Torvik’s 2024 rankings.

So while it's easy to get caught up in the excitement amidst all the positive projections, potential concerns could impact the team's performance. In this post, we'll delve into some of these areas of uncertainty, exploring the challenges that the Hoosiers might face despite their promising outlook.

Side note: I’m also excited about next year’s team and also project them to be much better. This piece is just a way to acknowledge that there still could be some concerns that would hinder the Hoosiers.

Lineup Construction

It’s no secret that the game of basketball has transformed over the past decade or so. Whether you’re an NBA or college basketball guru, you watched the championship teams of both leagues play similar styles.

Both UConn and the Boston Celtics focused on space and pace, which created advantages for their offense.

Looking at UConn, they surrounded 7’2” Clingan with four guys that could either shoot, create, or do both. Their 4-out and sometimes 5-out approach gave defenses fits, as you can see below.

For Indiana, most have projected their starting lineup to look like this:

PG Rice

SG Carlyle/Galloway

SF Mgbako

PF Reneau

C Ballo

While Rice and Carlyle/Gallo can both create and Mgbako projects to be a good shooter, the pairing of Reneau and Ballo in the frontcourt doesn’t really lend itself to the spacing and creation of a lineup like UConn.

Both Ballo and Reneau are best with the ball in their hands around the rim.

Indiana does have options to slide a player like Mgbako down to the 4 alongside one of Ballo/Reneau, or to insert a player like Goode to play some ‘small ball’ 4. However, Indiana had similar opportunities to move Mgbako to the 4 last season and it virtually never happened.

Even in a game in which Kel’el Ware missed, Woodson inserted Payton Sparks into the starting lineup rather than going smaller with Mgbako at the 4.

Next, let’s discuss some potential issues related to Indiana’s reliance on post-ups, it’s minimal use of the 3-point line, and how this roster projects defensively.