Can Indiana Reach the Final Four? The Hoosiers Have Joined the Conversation

Indiana basketball has won 10 of its last 13 games heading into the final week of the regular season. The Hoosiers are beginning to generate some Final Four buzz, especially after a 79-71 win at No. 5 Purdue. Here's what some national media outlets recently said about Indiana.

Jack Ankony | Feb 27, 2023

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Indiana Hoosiers

After a 79-71 win over No. 5 Purdue at Mackey Arena, Indiana is getting hot at the right time.

The Hoosiers have won 10 of their last 13 games, and they conclude the 2022-23 regular season this week with a pair of home games against Iowa and Michigan. Selection Sunday is quickly approaching on March 12, and led by coach Mike Woodson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana has joined the conversation as a potential Final Four team.

Here's what the national media is saying about Indiana, including the most recent power rankings and NCAA Tournament thoughts.

(Click on the name to read the full article).

Seth Davis of the Athletic ranked Indiana No. 7 in his top 25 on Monday. He had Indiana ahead of Purdue last week, too, and was validated by Saturday's result.

"I can’t say I spend a ton of time reading the comments to my weekly rankings (the whole “please be kind” thing hasn’t quite taken hold there), but I couldn’t help but notice that last week a lot of Purdue fans were miffed that I put the Boilermakers at No. 9, a whopping four spots lower than where they ended up in the AP poll, while many others took exception to my ranking Indiana so high. The Hoosiers did lose at Michigan State Tuesday, but then they beat Purdue in Mackey Arena Saturday to complete the season sweep and validate my lofty opinion of them. The Hoosiers are probably still going to be ranked lower in the poll than where I have them, partly because many of my fellow voters place a bigger weight on a team’s entire body of work as opposed to how the team is playing right now. Which is totally fair. That’s the great thing about these rankings. It’s not just the decisions that are subjective, but the criteria as well. Based on what I’m seeing from Indiana, you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that there are 10 teams playing considerably better basketball right now."

Jeff Borzello of ESPN placed Indiana at No. 13 in his weekly power rankings and named Jalen Hood-Schifino the Player of the Week in all of college basketball.

"Hood-Schifino's game against Purdue on Saturday night was one of the best big-game performances we've seen from anyone all season -- and is more than enough to overcome the fact Indiana lost earlier in the week to Michigan State (Hood-Schifino had 16 points in that one). He was incredible against the Boilermakers, especially when factoring in it was a rivalry game on the road at Mackey Arena. The freshman guard finished with a career-high 35 points on 14-for-24 shooting, also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. He had 23 points at halftime and then hit timely baskets in the second half as Indiana extended its lead or halted Purdue's momentum. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he became the first Indiana freshman with multiple 30-point games since Eric Gordon in 2007-08. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been the guy for Indiana all season, especially in Big Ten play, but with the big man struggling against Zach Edey, Hood-Schifino showed he can carry Indiana if needed."
"Did Indiana solve Purdue? It swept its rivalry series with Purdue on Saturday -- only the second time it's beat a ranked Boilermakers team twice in the same season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The other time was in 1992-93. The numbers from both of this season's games are fairly similar from a Purdue perspective. Zach Edey dominated on the inside, Fletcher Loyer had a relatively inefficient double-figure outing and nobody else did anything. The Boilermakers controlled the offensive glass, but really struggled to keep IU from scoring inside the arc. In the first game, home-court advantage was a factor. In the second, it was Jalen Hood-Schifino's star turn."

Jon Rothstein of FanDuel released the Rothstein 45 on Monday, slotting Indiana at No. 14

"A dark horse Final Four team."

Aaron Torres of FOX Sports radio gave his take on Indiana's win over Purdue and the Hoosiers' tournament chances.

"Indiana smacks Purdue 79-71, in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated - and have now won 10 of 13. Hoosiers have a lottery pick at point guard and an All-American down low. Make no mistake: This team is ABSOLUTELY capable of making a Final Four."

Kyle Boone of CBS Sports handed out letter grades to a handful of college basketball teams on Sunday night after a hectic weekend. On this week's report card, he gave Indiana a B-.

"Impressed with the resolve of this Indiana team this week. After falling on the road at Michigan State , No. 17 IU went to Mackey Arena and controlled the Boilermakers for much of the game. Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 35 vs. Purdue and may be the NCAA Tournament's biggest X-factor."

Rob Dauster of the Field of 68 picked Indiana as the Big Ten team that could make the deepest run in the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm all in on this Indiana team. I think that they are the best Final Four threat in the Big Ten, and I think that they are a top-10 ceiling team in college basketball. When they are at their best, they are a top-10 team in America."
"I'm very high on what this group can be. They've got Trayce, you know how good that dude is. But Jalen Hood-Schifino, I said this last night, I think his performance on the road in Mackey Arena, against that team, against your rivals, in that environment, going for 35 and doing what he did, was one of the most impressive individual performances I've seen this season, if no the single-most impressive individual performance. Mackey Arena, I don't know if you guys have been, it is a top five home court environment, and you're going in there for a rivalry game as Indiana. He's a freshman, it was unbelievable. If he can do that, and you've got other guys hitting shots – Miller Kopp, Tamar Bates, Race Thompson, Trey Galloway, who was awesome the other day. Like to me Trey Galloway's the quintessential white dude from Indiana, right? It doesn't get more quintessential than that. He's tough, he makes shots, he doesn't make mistakes."
"I said this like three weeks ago. I think Indiana is a very real Final Four threat because they have all pieces you need, especially if you get Xavier Johnson back and Xavier Johnson can provide anything."

John Henson, a former North Carolina forward who was on the Field of 68 podcast, agreed that opponents should be more worried about facing Indiana in the NCAA Tournament than any other Big Ten team.

"I'm definitely more worried about Indiana because I feel like there's the game plan for Purdue. Now, if you beat them or not it's on you, but there's a game plan for Purdue and you can beat them if you stick to a game plan. Indiana has that buzzsaw tendency where you catch them on the wrong night and there's nobody that's going to beat them. They're probably not going to be a super high seed, so I mean they're going to have to play against a top team early and I feel terrible for that team because [Indiana] is peaking at the right moment. Hood-Schifino looks like a pro out there with the midrange and just the floats and the way he handles the ball and just kind of gets into his bag. They're really good."

Dalen Cuff of ESPN examined the chances 18 teams have to win this year's National Championship. At plus-4000 odds, Cuff said to fade Indiana as a national title contender.

"Indiana is the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde of college basketball. They are a different team at home than they are on the road. That's not unique to them but they're good is really good and their bad can be really bad. Trayce Jackson Davis is a first-team All-American. Jalen Hood Schifino is a star freshman but has also been wildly inconsistent. Guard play wins in March and the Hoosiers don't have enough of it to win it all in March. Verdict: Fade"

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports released his Top 25 And 1 rankings on Monday morning, with Indiana at No. 14.

"Jalen Hood-Schifino finished with 35 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 79-71 win at Purdue. The Hoosiers' next game is Tuesday against Iowa."

David Cobb of CBS Sports shared his takeaways from Indiana's 79-71 win over Purdue, including the Hoosiers' high NCAA Tournament ceiling with the emergence Jalen Hood-Schifino.

"The Hoosiers have a blossoming star on their roster in Hood-Schifino, and what we saw from him against Purdue suggests IU's ceiling involves playing into April. Purdue also plays freshman guards in Foster Loyer and Braden Smith, but there was no comparison Saturday."

Andy Katz of NCAA.com put Indiana at No. 6 in his weekly Power 36 rankings.

"Yes, the Hoosiers get a sweep of Purdue. They win at Mackey, outstanding performance from Jalen Hood-Schifino."

John Fanta of FOX Sports gave Indiana the No. 13 spot in his power rankings, released on Monday.

"The Hoosiers' 20th win of the season was their biggest, a Saturday night prime-time game on FOX at Mackey Arena in which Mike Woodson's team took down Purdue, 79-71. And no, it was not the Trayce Jackson-Davis Show this time. Five-star freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino put up his best performance as a Hoosier, exploding for 35 points on 14-for-24 from the floor while tallying seven rebounds. This team has won 10 of its last 13 games and should get Xavier Johnson back soon from a foot injury."

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