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2008 Indiana Basketball Preview & Season Predictions

Written October 14, 2008 by Luke Knight

At least Tom Crean knew full well what he was walking into when he took the job at Indiana. Last season, Indiana finished the season 25-8 overall and 14-4 in the Big 10. Indiana lost two stars to the first-round of the NBA draft in Eric Gordon and D.J. White. Then Crean upheld the dismissal of starters Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis. He then told DeAndre Thomas and Brandon McGee they weren’t welcome back. After that Eli Holman and Jordan Crawford decided to transfer. All that resulted in Indiana returning 1.13% of its scoring from last season, all of which was done by Kyle Taber, 5th year senior forward who totaled 28 points in 22 games. In the end, Tom Crean will return exactly one scholarship player (Taber who was a walk-on his first three years) and one walk-on from last season. Indiana brings in 5 scholarship freshman, two junior college transfers, and three walk-ons. This team is going to be incredibly unpredictable, but should be interesting to keep an eye on. Check out BetUS where Indiana is +15000 odds to win the National Title. Expectations are low, so this should be a good team to keep an eye on throughout the season when eyeing the college basketball odds each night.

Kyle Taber will be the leader in the frontcourt as Indiana’s lone veteran. Tom Pritchard, a 6’8” 240 freshman, will also be expected to contribute, as will Tijan Jobe, a 7’0” Junior College transfer. Pritchard was a Kelvin Sampson recruit, and one of the few that opted to stay with the program after Sampson stepped down. Indiana will ask him to grow up fast. Jobe will be expected to contribute 10-15 minutes of rebounding and shot blocking, giving the Hoosiers an inside presence it otherwise lacks.

True freshman Verdell Jones and JuCo transfer Devan Dumes will lead the backcourt, sharing significant minutes at the point. Dumes is the only other player besides Taber that has legitimate college basketball experience. Dumes, before ending up at Vincennes (IN) JC, began his career at Eastern Michigan, where he once scored 16 points against a Crean-coached Marquette team. Dumes can also play the 2, but Indiana will also look to freshmen Matt Roth, Nick Williams, and Malik Story to log major minutes in their first year of college ball. Nick Williams originally signed to play for Crean at Marquette and followed him to Indiana. Roth is a big time 3-point scorer and Malik Story, out of Los Angeles, chose Indiana over USC, Oregon, and Georgetown.

Final Analysis

Tom Crean is a proven coach, who should return Indiana to the top of the Big Ten, but to do it in one year with no proven players is a tall order. Hoosier fans will have to be a little patient with this team, as their will be growing pains. Not only does Indiana play in the Big Ten, but they also play in Maui with a field that includes North Carolina and Texas, and they are scheduled to play at Wake Forest, at Kentucky, and in Indianapolis against Gonzaga. We have Indiana finishing toward the bottom of the Big Ten this season, but Indiana is at +7000 odds to win the Big Ten Conference at BetUS.

Remember to get signed up for the NCAA basketball picks our handicappers offer if you want to win more with your basketball betting this winter!