Jon Rothstein remains skeptical of Indiana Basketball.

In his latest preseason power rankings, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein ranked the Indiana Hoosiers at No. 15 in the Big Ten Conference, reflecting skepticism after a major offseason overhaul and a coaching change.

Speaking on his Inside College Basketball podcast, Rothstein predicted Indiana will finish 15th in the Big Ten, ahead of only Rutgers, Minnesota, and Penn State.

> “It’s hard to get a gauge on the Hoosiers right now.”
— Jon Rothstein

 

Rothstein offered a deeper look at Indiana’s outlook for the 2025–26 season:

> “A lot of people are going to look at this and say, ‘Well, how is Indiana 15?’ I’m just studying Indiana’s roster, and I’m looking at the makeup of things, and I see a slew of players — while productive — who are all coming in without a great deal of power conference experience.

Until you see it on the court, it’s tough for me to put Indiana above certain teams. Only three players on Indiana’s roster — Tucker DeVries, Conor Enright, and Sam Alexis — have tangible power conference experience.”

 

Indiana is coming off a 19–13 season under former head coach Mike Woodson, marking a second consecutive year without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

New head coach Darian DeVries takes over after leading West Virginia to a 19–13 record and a seventh-place finish in the Big 12 last season — a remarkable turnaround from a 9-win campaign the year prior, though the Mountaineers were controversially left out of the NCAA Tournament.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rothstein has high expectations for Indiana’s in-state rival. He projects Purdue to win the Big Ten and ranks the Boilermakers as a top-four team nationally. He follows Purdue with Michigan and UCLA in the conference standings.

Rothstein’s Preseason All-Big Ten First Team:

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue

Nick Martinelli, Northwestern

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Donovan Dent, UCLA

Braden Smith, Purdue

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