Expectations for Indiana men’s basketball are high, but that doesn’t mean the team is thinking about them

Indiana males’s basketball’s media day on Thursday was nearly what everybody anticipated it could be. Mike Woodson answered questions on this season’s schedule, Trayce Jackson-Davis’ legacy, Xavier Johnson and extra.

One of many issues that caught out? Woodson’s strategy to the excessive expectations for this yr’s crew — expectations Woodson himself has positioned on his gamers and people from a nationwide perspective.

“This system is constructed that manner, and it needs to be that manner,” Woodson mentioned. “I’m not going to run from it, and I’m not going to let my gamers run from it. There’s a number of huge issues that’s bought to occur this yr for our ballclub, and I’m going to attempt to coach them up and push them in that path.”

Indiana is presently the very best ranked Large Ten crew on Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings, at eleventh. On ESPN’s Approach too Early High 25 Rankings from August 23, Indiana sits at fifteenth, sandwiched between Villanova and Arizona — two groups who superior to the Candy 16 and Ultimate 4 final yr.

It’s secure to say all eyes are on the Hoosiers. However when the gamers look within the mirror, are they considering the identical as everybody else?

The reply, for essentially the most half, is not any.

“You undoubtedly can’t ignore the truth that we’re going to be a kind of high-level groups, as a result of it’s out on social media on a regular basis,” freshman ahead Malik Reneau mentioned. “Positively understanding what it takes to be a kind of prime groups and know that you simply’re not the underdog anymore, and also you’re going to be those being hunted, is a giant key for us.”

As a freshman, Reneau joins an Indiana basketball crew with gamers who haven’t been ranked of their school profession. It might be silly to count on the gamers to utterly ignore the optimistic consideration after seeing the flip facet in earlier years.

“Simply coming in right here my freshman yr and never having actually any expectations, even sophomore yr, after which junior yr simply having a brand new crew, lastly coming in right here to this historic program and having an expectation to do one thing huge is big,” senior ahead Trayce Jackson-Davis mentioned.

For the Hoosiers, there additionally appears to be a distinction between recognizing their potential as a crew, backed up by the present projections, and utilizing these numbers as a driving drive.

Slightly than being solely motivated by the numbers and hype, Indiana is motivated by one another and the previous. Making it to the NCAA event final yr gave the crew a style of what the Large Dance was.

They’re hungrier now.

Trayce Jackson-Davis desires to cement his legacy with banners and titles. Mike Woodson desires the identical. That’s no secret, and each mentioned as a lot.

“I’m not going to push the crew in another path,” Woodson mentioned. “In the event that they’re frightened of that problem, they shouldn’t be right here.”

There’s little question the crew is motivated by expectations, and that’s not one thing to shrink back from. Nonetheless, the mindset of transferring previous the numbers and the projections and specializing in simply enjoying the sport could be very prevalent.

“Rankings are what they’re,” Woodson mentioned. “You’ve nonetheless bought to play the sport, my man. That’s what’s vital, what occurs between these two strains.”

Woodson emphasised the necessity to put together his gamers to play on the degree that enables them to win each sport they play, it doesn’t matter what. After all, he has targets for Large Ten and nationwide titles down the road. However to get there, the crew has to truly play properly persistently.

“We’ve bought to exit and do it on the ground and present that we are able to win a Large Ten title and a nationwide title,” Woodson mentioned. “That’s all I’m involved about proper now. The one manner to try this is to get higher each day in apply, and after we step on the ground, we’re enjoying at a excessive degree.”

The gamers additionally know the rankings aren’t every part, and so they can’t dangle their hats on any numbers, particularly within the preseason.

“We’re attempting to not fear about that an excessive amount of, attempting to disregard it as a result of, I imply, it means nothing,” sophomore middle Logan Duncomb mentioned. “Final yr, Michigan was primary preseason within the Large Ten, and so they form of struggled.”

Michigan completed eighth within the Large Ten final season — one spot above Indiana.

The bottom line is to acknowledge the majority of the projections for what they’re: phrases and numbers with nothing to again them up.

“It’s simply type of like maintain doing what we’re doing, heads down,” Duncomb mentioned. “We’re nothing till we show it.”

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