Jalen Hood-Schifino turning into a one and done was not necessarily a surprise to anyone. The highly-touted prospect was ranked in the top 25 in his class, considered the fifth best combo guard in 2022.
What was a surprise was how essential he became to Indiana’s success after Xavier Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury against Kansas in December. From that moment on, Indiana would mostly live and die with its freshman point guard.
That Indiana landed a four seed in a tournament with a true freshman leading the offense is a testament to just how talented and poised Jalen Hood-Schifino was.