Scouting report: Deep dive into key matchups

INDIANA

Matchup Dates: Jan. 31 (home) and Feb. 23 (away)

Key Returners: Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Trey Galloway

All three of these players ranked among the top four scorers for the Hoosiers last season and bring varying levels of experience.

The trio combined for 68 points in the two games against the Boilermakers last season.

Renau led the way in scoring for Indiana last season with 508 points and was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Mgbako earned several Big Ten honors in his freshman year with the Hoosiers last season including Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He also ranked 1st among Big Ten freshmen in points per game with 12.2.

Galloway is going into his fifth year with the Hoosiers. He was one of Indiana’s team captains and finished eighth in the Big Ten in assists last season.

Departures: Kel’el Ware, Xavier Johnson, CJ Gunn

Ware was the second-leading scorer for the Hoosiers. He went on to forgo his remaining years of eligibility to enter the NBA draft. The Miami Heat drafted Ware with the 15th overall pick.

Johnson exhausted his eligibility. He was the sixth-leading scorer for the Hoosiers with 151 points last season.

Gunn entered the transfer portal and committed to DePaul at the end of March. Gunn culminated 153 points in his two years with Indiana.

Transfer Additions: Luke Goode (Illinois), Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Myles Rice (Washington State)

The Hoosiers were active in the transfer portal this season, gathering players from across several conferences.

Goode is a senior forward and Indiana native, familiar to the Boilermakers from his time with the Illini.

Ballo is a 7-foot center entering as a redshirt fifth-year senior and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season.

Rice is a sophomore guard. He set several program freshman records while at Washington State, including the single-season scoring, single-season assists, single-season field goals and single-season free throw percentage records.

Freshman Recruit: Bryson Tucker

247Sports lists Tucker as a four-star recruit. The small forward, standing 6-foot-7 also received offers from Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and LSU.

ALABAMA

Matchup Date: Nov. 15 (home)

Key Returners: Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr.

Sears led the Crimson Tide with 797 points last season, 305 more than Alabama’s next leading scorer. He scored 35 against Purdue last year.

Nelson averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. He led Alabama in rebounds and blocks. He ranked 15th in the SEC in rebounds per game.

Wrightsell Jr. shot a team-best 44.7% from three-point range, the fourth highest average by an Alabama player in a single season.

Departures: Aaron Estrada, Rylan Griffen, Nick Pringle

Estrada exhausted his eligibility. He was the second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide and shot 44.9% from the field.

Griffen entered the transfer portal and committed to Kansas in late April. He was the fourth-leading scorer for Alabama.

Pringle also entered the transfer portal and committed to South Carolina.

Transfer Additions: Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers), Aden Holloway (Auburn), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine)

Omoruyi recorded 93 blocks last season at Rutgers, which was the most by a Big Ten player since 2018. He was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.

Holloway played in all 35 games, including 26 starts, as a freshman for Auburn. He made 52 three-pointers, which ranked 9th in most three-pointers made by a freshman in program history.

Mallette was named to the 2024 All-WCC Honorable Mention squad, ranking 5th in the WCC in scoring and three-point field goal percentage.

Freshman Recruit: Derrion Reid

Reid’s versatility led to his five-star ranking from 247Sports. The forward was a 2024 McDonald’s All-American along with fellow Alabama freshman Aiden Sherrell.

ILLINOIS

Matchup Date: March 7 (away)

Key Returners: Ty Rodgers, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, AJ Redd

The Illini are much younger than last year with five freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors and one fifth-year senior.

Rodgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn, Redd and Keaton Kutcher are the only returners for Illinois.

Rodgers was 5th on the team’s scoring list with 234 last season. He led the team in offensive rebounds as well.

Departures: Terrence Shannon Jr. (NBA), Coleman Hawkins (Kansas State), Luke Goode (IU)

The Illini lost their top four scorers from last season – Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask, Coleman Hawkins and Quincy Guerrier.

These four combined for 111 points against Purdue in the two matchups last season.

Shannon Jr. went on to get drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Illinois lost Hawkins and Goode to the transfer portal. Hawkins committed to Kansas State in June and Goode committed to Indiana.

Transfer Additions: Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Jake Davis (Mercer), Tre White (Louisville)

Boswell led the Arizona Wildcats with 50 steals. Purdue held Boswell to 6 points in their matchup last season in the Indy Classic.

Davis shot 38.7% from three-point range while with Mercer last year. The sophomore ranked 3rd on the team in scoring and rebounding.

White played for USC his freshman year before transferring to Louisville. He averaged 12.3 points per game with Louisville last season. He notched four double-doubles on the year.

Freshman Recruit: Will Riley

Riley was originally a member of the 2025 class before reclassifying to 2024. The small forward was a five-star recruit and No. 9 overall in his class, according to 247Sports.