Indiana Hoosiers belong in the Playoffs and here’s Why

Someone asked me (a native of southern Indiana with two parents who graduated from Indiana University) the other day: “What makes new head coach Curt Cignetti so good?”

To put it simply, Coach Cignetti and his staff know how to recruit and gave themselves no passes for the first year. They revamped the roster by making good decisions with the transfer portal (16 starters are portal acquisitions).

They have a rock-star Class of 2025 recruiting class that projects to be one of the best in the country. And, based on conversations with several incoming recruits, Cignetti is an “old school” coach with a no-nonsense style who coaches players hard.

Thirteen transfers followed Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana as part of a massive roster overhaul. Those ex-Dukes brought to Indiana a winning culture. They’d helped James Madison win 11 games last season.

Skeptics question Indiana’s strength of schedule, but there can be no arguing these facts: The Hoosiers will enter Saturday’s game against No. 2 Ohio State with a chance to increase their program-record season win total, and if they win in Columbus, that signals they can win the whole darn thing.