Saturday's first look at IU basketball should offer windows into this team’s potential

• IU vs. Marian, 3 p.m., Saturday; TV: BTN+

BLOOMINGTON – Now, after an offseason spent waiting impatiently, basketball returns to Bloomington.

Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers host Marian on Saturday, in the first of two public preseason exhibitions. Even given all the usual caveats, our first look at the Hoosiers should offer windows into this team’s winter potential. Here are three talking points to keep in mind:

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The Johnson/Hood-Schifino axis

We talked a lot about it in the spring, then it took a bit of a backseat to more recent developments through summer and fall.

There’s obviously the fundamental question of how two players who like the ball in their hands interact. But there are layers to this relationship beyond the most reductive analysis.

Primarily, what is one doing when the other runs the show. Can Johnson, who improved so much as a shooter at the back end of last season, hunt spot-up looks when Hood-Schifino runs point? How quickly will we see the diverse, two-way impact from Hood-Schifino that Woodson and teammates described this offseason? Will having two potentially elite passers on the floor ignite IU’s transition offense the way Woodson hopes?

If Woodson’s lineups during the brief Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage are any indication, the fifth-year senior and the recently arrived freshman will be starting next to one another this season. How they interact will be crucial to Indiana’s backcourt success this winter.

How strong is the second frontline?

Jordan Geronimo made clear strides skills-wise last February and March. At his best, he’s as good of a shot blocker and rebounder as Indiana’s got, and that includes Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Now — if, again, we’re basing our assessments on the lineup Woodson showed three weeks ago — he’ll anchor the frontcourt’s second line, alongside intriguing freshman Malik Reneau. Especially in brief stretches and targeted matchups, this can be a tangible upgrade from a season ago.

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You already saw as much in the last month of last season. When Geronimo took his impact up a level in games like Michigan, Minnesota and Wyoming, the drop-off from IU’s first to second rotation shortened substantially. Once or twice, Geronimo was even so effective Woodson overhauled his rotations entirely.

Reneau figures to step into the minutes vacated by Michael Durr. Given how dramatically Durr’s playing time and impact shrank at the back end of last season, Reneau shouldn’t have much trouble replacing that. The question should be how ready he is to grow his own role from there.

These are two players of different physical and athletic profiles, and skill sets. Woodson shouldn’t have trouble playing them together. Given the strength of Indiana’s starting frontcourt, if they can shorten the dip from the Hoosiers’ ones to their twos, this immediately becomes a more dangerous team.

Team defense

We’ve spent a lot of this offseason talking about what this team doesn’t do well, and where it can improve, and (probably) not enough time exploring the elite tool already in its bag.

There is no reason before a ball is dribbled in anger this season to believe in Indiana more than the Hoosiers’ collective defensive ability.

IU finished first in the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency in conference games alone last season, per Ken Pomeroy, and the Hoosiers were at or near the top of the charts in a variety of other categories. They finished fourth or better in league play in opponent effective field goal percentage, 2-point percentage, 3-point percentage and turnover rate, and they topped the conference by a comfortable margin in percentage of opponents’ shots blocked.

Coupled to solid work on the glass, Indiana finished last season with the No. 24 overall defense in the country (all games), per KenPom. Now, the Hoosiers might be even better.

These exhibitions probably won’t offer much insight into how IU has improved its wing defense, one of its few significant weaknesses last season. But with Jaden Ivey, Johnny Davis, Keegan Murray, Caleb Houstan and Ron Harper Jr. all out of the Big Ten, that might not be as much of a concern.

And the difference in skill level between Indiana and Marian should mean Saturday isn’t a tremendous physical test for the Hoosiers. But it is a first look at how connected this group has remained through the offseason, and how it’s adapted in players like Reneau and (perhaps crucially) Hood-Schifino.

There can be no backward steps defensively for this group.

Any surprises?

A bonus talking point!

Saturday won’t be one for grand conclusions, obviously. There remain questions that can’t be answered by 40 minutes against lower-division competition (3-point shooting, for example). But a big part of Indiana’s preseason profile is the Hoosiers’ returning talent and settled roster.

So, this is a simple but relevant curiosity: Does IU do anything intentionally outside what’s expected Saturday? Does someone get 22 minutes out of nowhere? Is there a big shooting or scoring number out of left field?

It’s only one look at this team, but it is the first one, which means the slate is clean. Will something unexpected begin filling it this weekend?

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.