What will IU basketball look like this season?
BLOOMINGTON — After another offseason with off-the-court turmoil, Indiana University's basketball team returns to the court Friday for the first day of practice.
The Hoosiers finished last season 20-14 with a 9-9 record in Big Ten play and reached the NCAA tournament.
So what can IU fans expect in 2015-16? Hoosiers Insider Zach Osterman offers a quick glance:
Who's gone: Hanner Mosquera-Perea, 6-9, F, 6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg; Stanford Robinson, 6-4, G, 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg; Emmitt Holt, 6-7, F, 3.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg.
Who's back: Yogi Ferrell, 6-0, sr., G, 16.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 41.6 3-pt %; James Blackmon Jr., 6-4, so., G, 15.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 38.7 3-pt %; Troy Williams, 6-7, jr., F, 13 ppg, 7.4 rpg; Robert Johnson, 6-4, so., G, 8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg; Nick Zeisloft, 6-4, sr., G, 6.6 ppg, 45 3-pt %; Collin Hartman, 6-7, jr., F, 4.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 47.5 3-pt %.
Who's new: Max Bielfeldt, 6-8, sr., F, 5.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg (statistics from r-jr. year at Michigan); Thomas Bryant, 6-10, fr., C, 17.3 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 4.5 bpg (statistics from senior year at Huntington Prep).
Player to watch: Ferrell. He has a chance to finish his career as a top-10 career scorer, Indiana's all-time assists leader and one of the best 3-point shooters in program history. He also hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since his freshman season, but as IU's point guard, it will be up to him to sew the Hoosiers many talented pieces together into a Big Ten title contender — and perhaps more.
Nonconference game to watch: Dec. 2 at Duke. Maryland-North Carolina might be the glitziest of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups, but none has more blue-blood heft than IU-Duke. The Blue Devils are the reigning national champions, and the Hoosiers will be fresh from their trip to the Maui Invitational, hoping to prove their national bonafides.
Max Bielfeldt ready to step up at IU
STORYLINES
• How quickly can Bryant fit in? The criticisms of coach Tom Crean's handling of big men are largely unjustified, but with so much talent in place elsewhere, it will be up to him to make sure Bryant's impact is felt right away. The latest in a line of talented centers to come through Bloomington, he's seen as the missing piece for the Hoosiers.
• Indiana has depth in the front and backcourts, but not overwhelming depth. The Hoosiers can't be as guard-heavy as they were last year, and they'll have to be smart about their post rotations as well. All the tools are there for a special season, in Crean's eighth year in Bloomington.
• Defense. There is no more important storyline. For all its talent and depth, this Indiana team has to improve on a defensive performance last season that was, by almost any measure, the worst in the Big Ten. IU allowed 1.048 points per possession last season, according to Ken Pomeroy, 214th in the country. No championship potential gets realized unless or until that number shrinks, drastically.
Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
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