Author: Mike Schumann

As we near the midway point of the 2022-23 season, it seems like a good time to check in on each player on the roster and examine how they are performing against preseason expectations. Today we look at sixth-year forward Race Thompson.  See also:  Jordan Geronimo | Tamar Bates | Trey Galloway | Miller Kopp Race Thompson’s traditional numbers through 13 games: MPG:  23.8 PPG:  8.4 RPG:  6.4 APG:  1.2 BPG:  1.4 SPG:  0.8 TPG:  0.8 FG%:  47.3 3FG%:  27.6 The preseason chatter:  Coming into the season, the main questions surrounding Thompson were whether he could augment his game to resemble that…

Indiana senior forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Mackenzie Holmes were among a group of 25 student-athletes selected to their respective John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch Lists today. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2022-23 season thus far, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor. Jackson-Davis paces the Hoosiers with 16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game this season. He is shooting 63.4% (64-of-101) from the floor. He is one of two players nationally to average at least 16.0 points,…

Just a day removed from Iowa’s Patrick McCaffery announcing he was taking time away from the game to attend to his struggle with anxiety, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis seemingly saw an opportunity to expose bad fan behavior. On Wednesday afternoon, Jackson-Davis posted on his Twitter page a copy of a handwritten letter sent to him from someone named Tim Weaver. Jackson-Davis introduced the letter with a reference to the mental health issues players contend with, and he tagged the Twitter account of the author of the letter. “You wonder why players experience mental health issues and problems,” Jackson-Davis wrote.  “We are…

With a long break until IU basketball returns to the floor, it seems like a good time to check in on each player on the roster and examine how they are performing against preseason expectations. Today we look at fifth year forward Miller Kopp.  See also:  Jordan Geronimo | Tamar Bates | Trey Galloway Miller Kopp’s traditional numbers through 13 games: MPG:  26.3 PPG:  9.6 RPG:  2.2 APG:  1.1 BPG:  0.2 SPG:  0.5 TPG:  0.6 FG%:  49.4 3FG%:  44.6 The preseason chatter:  Everyone knew Kopp was on the floor to make threes, so the questions were, could Indiana get him a high…

Iowa redshirt junior wing Patrick McCaffery will be taking an indefinite leave to address anxiety, he announced on Tuesday. Indiana plays Iowa on Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern in Iowa City. Patrick is the son of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “Patrick is one of the millions of people who battle through anxiety on a daily basis,” Fran said in a release.  “It has become more noticeable on and off the court over the past couple weeks. “Patrick has the full support of his family, coaches, teammates, and administration as he fights through this. All of us admire his courage…

Even after producing a triple-double against Nebraska, and a nine block effort against Kansas, Trayce Jackson-Davis hasn’t seemed like himself since suffering a back injury in November. Some of it is because he is the literal center-of-attention, drawing double and triple-teams as opposing defenses have learned Jackson-Davis is too dangerous to cover one-on-one. But Jackson-Davis hasn’t been 100 percent as the back issue has lingered, causing him to miss three games — one in late November, and two more in late December. IU will have had 12 days off between games when they face Iowa on Thursday evening in Iowa…

Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson was the only Hoosier to stay in Bloomington over the team’s long break between games over the holidays. That meant he got some one-on-one time to bond with his head coach, who has also been in town for much of the time.  The pair had dinner together along with Johnson’s mother, who came to Indiana. Johnson stayed behind because he is rehabbing his surgically repaired foot as he tries to make a late season comeback during his final year of college basketball. Woodson even tried out some of Johnson’s rehabilitation techniques, like attempting to pick…

Indiana head coach Mike Woodson is going to shake up his lineup when Big Ten play resumes. With starting point guard Xavier Johnson out for an extended period of time, the second year head coach will turn to Tamar Bates at shooting guard on Thursday night when the Hoosiers face Iowa. Woodson said he is making the change with an eye towards his team getting off to better starts — something that was a problem in their three losses. “We’re going to have to shake the lineup up a little bit probably, and see if that works,” Woodson said on…

IU basketball four-year starter Trayce Jackson-Davis has been quietly moving up multiple all-time statistical lists this season. And he has a good chance to end up on top of at least one category. Jackson-Davis is already top-eight all-time in points, rebounds and blocks.  That’s an accomplishment only he and Alan Henderson can claim. Here’s a look at where Jackson-Davis currently stands in several categories — and where he might end up by the end of the season. CURRENT POINTS – 1,752 Jackson-Davis is presently eighth on the all-time scoring list.  So far this season he has passed Damon Bailey, Kent…

The first AP top-25s of 2023 were released on Monday, and the IU men’s and women’s basketball programs made slight moves in opposite directions. The IU men moved up one spot to No. 15 despite not playing a game over the last week.  The Hoosiers return to action on Thursday at Iowa, a team that has lost four of its last five games. In-state rival Purdue (13-0) is No. 1 for the fourth straight week.  The Boilermakers will be tested this week with three league games.  They host Rutgers on Monday, and then travel to Ohio State and Penn State…