Changes You Can Expect From This Year's Hoosier Basketball Team

Source: Mitchell Layton / Getty

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.— The regular season begins in November for Division I College basketball teams even though some exhibition games will be played before that. The Indiana Hoosier men’s basketball program had their media day on Wednesday.

Indiana Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Woodson says he’s confident the team can improve on its 19-14 season last year where they missed the NCAA Tournament.

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“Well, we’re a little bit deeper than we’ve been in past years with our ball club. I thought we did a pretty good job putting a roster together. In the summer they guys did great. They did what was expected of them and the fall went well too,” said Woodson.

Out of more than 300 programs, Indiana was ranked 182nd in the nation in percentage of shots taken in transition and 205th in fastbreak points scored last season. Woodson believes those numbers will improve this year.

“I’d like to play a little bit faster on made baskets. That’s something we’ve been putting together since the summer,” said Woodson has 13 players on his roster, seven of whom are newcomers. One of those newcomers is redshirt sophomore point guard Myles Rice. He transferred from Washington State. Rice averaged 14.8 points and 3.8 assists in his only season there.

“His speed, it changes the game for us, along with Kanaan (Carlyle), and the fact he can score the ball,” Woodson said.

Hoosier Forward Malik Reneau is being asked to play more away from the basket during his junior season.

“He held his own out there. His biggest challenge is going to be guarding smaller players at that position,” said Woodson. Reneau averaged 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists as a sophomore.

Indiana has two exhibition games, including one against Tennessee in Knoxvile. They start the regular season against SIU-Edwardsville on November 6.

Changes You Can Expect From This Year’s Hoosier Basketball Team was originally published on wibc.com