BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After starting Big Ten Conference play 0-3, the Indiana Hoosiers have now won seven of their last eight games including a win over Rutgers on Tuesday, winning 66-60 at Assembly Hall behind 20 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists from star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Jackson-Davis is one of the best college basketball players in the country, and his recent torrid stretch has Indiana tied for second place in the Big Ten behind Purdue, the No. 1 team in the country.
Locked on College Basketball guest Leif Thulin believes Jackson-Davis' maturity this season has catapulted Indiana into a position where they can potentially make some noise in the NCAA Tournament - something that has eluded the Big Ten in recent years.
"He always had the physical capacity to dominate a game," Thulin said. "But I think he's doing it from an intellectual capacity. He knows the spots that really help his team. Defensively he's anchored this team...[His] maturity and leadership is really what has propelled Indiana up the Big Ten standings."
Indiana is tied for second in the Big Ten with Rutgers, both three games back from Purdue. One game is all that separates Indiana and Rutgers from the next six teams in the standings, so the Hoosiers will need Jackson-Davis and his supporting cast to keep it up if they want to stay afloat in the conference and secure a top five seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana made the Big Dance last season as a No. 12 seed, their first appearance since 2016. They were immediately dispatched by Saint Mary's, leaving Jackson-Davis and his team ready to make more noise this year.
Purdue is the Big Ten's best chance at changing the narrative about this conference falling apart in March, but TJD and the Hoosiers are ready to help turn the ship around as well, and their recent success proves they are more than capable of making a deep run next month.