Where IU basketball stands in various preseason top 25 rankings

We’re less than three weeks from Indiana’s regular-season opener against SIU-Edwardsville at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

We’ve already previewed all of Indiana’s non-conference and conference opponents for the 2024-25 season and looked at all 13 scholarship players for the Hoosiers.

The Associated Press preseason top 25 poll was released last week. Indiana is ranked 17th. Here’s a look at where the Hoosiers are ranked in every preseason ranking we could find:

Andy Katz, NCAA.com

Longtime college hoops scribe Andy Katz is bullish on Indiana. Katz has the Hoosiers No. 11 in his preseason “power 37” rankings.

“The Hoosiers returned Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway, and head coach Mike Woodson was busy in the transfer portal, highlighted by former Arizona big man Oumar Ballo,” Katz wrote. “This strong core should put the Hoosiers in a prime position to find their way back to the tournament after missing last year.”

John Fanta, FoxSports.com

Fanta is one of the most enthusiastic college basketball voices in the country. And like Katz, he’s also higher on the Hoosiers than the AP voters. Fanta has IU at No. 16 in the preseason.

“Year 4 of the Woodson Era brings a rich amount of buzz that the Hoosiers could contend for the Big Ten title,” Fanta wrote. “They reeled in the nation’s No. 2-ranked transfer class headlined by big man Ballo (Arizona) along with guards Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and Myles Rice (Washington State). With Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and veteran Trey Galloway in the fold, everything is on the table for a big year in Bloomington.”

Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com

Parrish last updated his “top 25 and 1” rankings in early July, but little has changed with rosters since that time. The CBS Sports writer has the Hoosiers safely inside the top 25 at No. 18.

“This ranking is based on Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers returning three of the top four scorers — specifically Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway — from a team that finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten,” Parrish wrote on July 1. “The additions of Myles Rice (Washington State), Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and Luke Goode (Illinois) from the transfer portal means Indiana is adding four experienced pieces, three of whom just spent a season starting in the Pac-12.”

Jeff Borzello, ESPN.com

The World Wide Leader has pared down its college hoops coverage and Borzello is one of the last remaining national voices at ESPN. He updated his “way too early rankings” in September with the Hoosiers at No. 18.

“Will all the pieces fit offensively? Last season, the Hoosiers never quite put it together,” Borzello wrote. “They were a dreadful shooting team, they turned the ball over too much and they couldn’t string together quality performances. But then Mike Woodson went out and landed Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle and Oumar Ballo, among others. Questions remain: Can Ballo and Malik Reneau play together? Where does Mackenzie Mgbako fit? Can anyone in the starting lineup make 3s consistently? There’s plenty of talent, though.”

Matt Norlander, CBSSports.com

Norlander recently ranked the top 100 teams in college hoops and placed the Hoosiers at No. 20.

“How big of a step back was last season? Consider that Indiana State finished 38th at KenPom, while IU was all the way at 91 and well out of the NCAA Tournament conversation,” Norlander wrote. “Despite making the Big Dance in years 1 and 2, Mike Woodson enters Year 4 on uneasy ground after the frustrations that sprouted like weeds emerged a season ago. The Hoosiers shouldn’t even entertain outcomes that threaten Woodson’s job security, though, not with the roster he’s put together.”

Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports

Rothstein has been releasing his top 45 teams nationally over on his X (formerly Twitter) account and revealed Indiana as No. 15 on Sunday:

“No. 15 in the Rothstein 45, the Indiana Hoosiers,” Rothstein said in a social media video. “Does Mike Woodson have the most talented team in the Big Ten conference this year? It’s definitely a conversation worth having. Indiana did major work in the transfer portal, adding a potential All-American at center in Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo and also reinforcing its backcourt with Washington transfer Myles Rice, Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle and also Illinois sharpshooter Luke Goode. Those players will combine with a returning nucleus of Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau and also Mackenize Mgbako that should put Indiana in position to compete for a Big Ten regular season title.”

Three Man Weave

The Weave has moved its coverage over to Trilly Donovan’s Discord, which is paywalled. Indiana comes in at No. 16 on the Weave’s preseason rankings:

“Mike Woodson enters a pivotal year in Bloomington after a rocky four-year start to his college coaching career,” the Weave wrote. “Indiana has yet to finish in the KenPom top 25 in his tenure, nor has it made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament – expectations of the rabid IU fanbase. With his back against the wall, Woodson has the best roster of his tenure, which means this is a true “make or break” season.”

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