LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Back in the NCAA Tournament for a second-straight season under second-year head coach Mike Woodson, Indiana is hoping its star power can carry the Hoosiers on a run.
IU is a No. 4 seed in the Midwest. They will face No. 13 seed Kent State on Friday in Albany, New York.
Indiana fell short of a Big 10 Tournament title, losing to Penn State in the semifinals. The Hoosiers go into the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 22-11.
IU is 3-3 in its past six games, showing what can make this team a threat entering March Madness, but also what could ultimately cost the Hoosiers. Star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis is where everything starts.
A National Player of the Year candidate, Jackson-Davis has showed off his all-around game this season. He leads Indiana in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.8 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. But he is also IU's leading distributor with 123 assists.
Jalen Hood-Schifino leads the backcourt for the Hoosiers. He is a standout freshman averaging 13.5 points per contest. Hood-Schifino has scored in double digits in 10 of his last 13 games, including an outstanding 35-point performance at rival Purdue on Feb. 25.
While the Hoosiers are a top-50 team in the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency, they have been in streaky on the offensive end in their last six games. IU figures to lean on its two stars for production and hopes supporting players like Miller Kopp, Tamar Bates and Race Thompson can help.
Indiana will look to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, when the Hoosiers lost in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina.
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