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It's clearly a question on the minds of most Indiana basketball fans now that the 2015-16 season has come to an end. Of the players with eligibility remaining, who will be in an Indiana uniform come the fall of 2016? Here is my take. Let me begin by saying this is speculation. Educated speculation, but speculation nonetheless. If there's one thing I've learned in my 18 years covering Indiana basketball it's that nothing is as simple as you would think it is. Players come and players go. Players that you think aren't transferring end up doing just that. Players that you're sure are definitely gone end up returning for another season. And so until we have heard a final decision I won't go to the bank with any of this. But it's late March and once you're eliminated from the NCAA Tournament this is the kind of topic that begins weighing on the minds of Hoosier Nation. Should I stay or should I go? Let's throw out some names and get some opinions. Please feel free to weigh in on any of these guys. If you think I'm wrong, say so. If you think I'm right, you can agree, too. But I'm hoping we get some good discussion going on this one. 1. TROY WILLIAMS Options: He could go to the NBA, go overseas, graduate from IU at the end of this semester and transfer to another school and play right away or return to Indiana for his final season of eligibility. What I think he'll do: My guess is that Troy will be looking to collect a paycheck. Whether that's in the NBA or overseas, I'm not sure. But I'm guessing he's gone. I think the least possible option would be to transfer to another school. I think if he decides to play his final year of eligibility he would do so at Indiana. That's just my feeling. Is he ready for the NBA? I don't think so but no one is asking me either. Something just tells me though that if he hears any positive feedback at all from NBA folks that he'll probably make himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Again, it's just an opinion. 2. THOMAS BRYANT Options: He could make himself eligible for the NBA Draft or he could return for his sophomore season at IU. What I think he'll do: I think Bryant comes back. I think he likes school and he sees that he can improve if he sticks around and puts in the effort that he would need to put in. If he has a big year as a sophomore I think he's probably gone, just like Cody Zeller did. I know that Bryant has gotten some love from some of the draft boards but I just think if he had one more solid season that he could do a lot for his draft stock. Will he listen to what all of the NBA people have to say? Absolutely. But I think he's a pretty smart young man and he'll look at next year and realize how much of a dominant force he could be on that team. 3. JAMES BLACKMON JR. Options: He could make himself eligible for the NBA Draft, transfer to another school and sit out a year, or return to Indiana. What I think he'll do: I've heard the transfer rumors and they just don't make sense to me. I think Blackmon Jr. really has two options: He either goes to the NBA or he returns for one more season at Indiana. And again, I think the highest percentage here has him returning to IU. I can't imagine a lot of NBA people telling him that he should come out after what transpired from an injury standpoint this season. But the transfer rumors just make no sense to me at all. The only way he would transfer would be if he opted to go the Division II route but why would you do that? I can't imagine him transferring to a D1 school and sitting out another year. It just makes absolutely no sense to me. I think he's back in an IU uniform next season. 4. OG ANUNOBY Options: Declare for the NBA Draft or return to IU for his sophomore season. What I think he'll do: I know people cringe just seeing his name here but OG has been getting some love. I think he'll be at Indiana next season though. He may even be there a few more years. I think with a few more years of seasoning, OG could be a dynamic player both at this level and the next one. Again, I'm sure he'll listen to whatever people are saying but my guess is that he'll be back and will be part of the starting rotation. 5. TIM PRILLER Options: Stay or go. What I think he'll do: The only reason I put him on here is because I was on a radio show in Indy on Monday and was asked about him by Jake Query on 1260 WNDE. My answer there was depending on who is returning and what the scholarship numbers situation is, I guess he could be a casualty. But I really don't know. I think a lot will depend on what players leave and what players decide to stay. Unless you see him contributing at some point to this IU basketball team other than being the Victory Cigar, though, I just question how you can continue to allow him to occupy a roster spot. So those are five players to think about. What do you think? Do you they stay or do they go? View full article

@MichaelHughes94: Yogi Ferrell will compete in the State Farm 3-point Championships on Thursday night in Texas. Televised by ESPN at 9 p.m. #iubb

It sure was good to have Biefeldt as a result of this rule. He was a good player for IU.

Let's get him just to troll Johnny. @GoodmanESPN: Michigan’s Spike Albrecht told ESPN he was granted his release today and plans to play next season elsewhere as a grad transfer.

Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?

Might be time to resurrect the GIF thread! It is the offseason after all...

Pretty much agree with you, Terry. If Troy is scheduled to graduate this summer, I would say it is likely that he leaves. What is sad is that his NBA stock pretty much stayed the same this year... and that's not good when you're already on the fringe of even being drafted to begin with. I think an off-season of work with shooting, ball-handling, control and defending (especially off of screens) could do wonders for him. If he could improve those aspects of his game and return next year, you could see a First-Team All Big Ten player. And I think he'd be a sure draft pick in 2017. But I think his plan all along has been to leave after this season. Definitely agree on Bryant. The guy seems like a competitor. It's obvious he really enjoys being a Hoosier. That picture of him and Crean after the UNC game proves that. I could see him coming back with a vengeance next year and tearing up the Big Ten and making another run in the tournament. He knows he has that capability.Then I could see him being a Lottery Pick in 2017 as opposed to a late first rounder in 2016. I really can't understand why Blackmon would do anything other than return to IU next year. I'd be shocked if OG left, too. I think he's really going to improve and be a force on the defensive end next year. If Williams leaves, OG is more than capable of filling that role in his own way. Somewhat surprised you included Priller because that's taboo for many. But I think it's valid. I always hear people say that "no team uses their 13th scholarship player anyway." That may be true, but you'd like to see that spot occupied for the future. Maybe even for a project player that needs a couple of years of seasoning, but could contribute in the rotation by their Junior or Senior years. Having players like that help soften the blow when players leave early for the NBA. You have guys who are familiar with the program. Wisconsin has done a wonderful job of this over the years with guys like Duje Dukan, Jared Berggren, Keaton Nankivil, etc.

The truth is that there's a lot of people who are saying a lot of things right now. I think it's still pretty early in the process before we know if someone is going or staying. Somebody could say they're going to test the waters without hiring an agent, too. I think that's what Swanigan said he was doing. And all it takes is for one person to go on Twitter and say he has a source that says so and so is definitely gone and it can get a lot of people fired up. So I just think we should all proceed carefully here.

I believe most people think Troy is gone not because of how ready he is, but because of the people around him wanting money.

I would have gone ape sh*t if we beat UNC and lost to either ND or WISCY. I mean would have completely lost my mind.

unrelated, but bleacher report said iu has the best uniforms in men's cbb! Unrelated but love it Sent from my SM-G920P using BtownBanners mobile app

Didn't they have a player transfer out mid season? That makes three players leaving O$U, two leaving MSU, one from pu, most Iowa starters graduating, and pretty much the entire Ill team arrested. This conference...

First, what a name! Second, Arizona, USC, Utah, Indiana. Darn it feels good to be a football school.

Can't help my analogies that I'm mostly on my phone now either. I'm not doom and gloom, this is just my standard offseason emotion. How can anyone have hope or happiness knowing there is no more Indiana basketball for 7 months? And we are less than a week away from losing all college ball! At least there are spring games soon and old college football on YouTube.

I thought OG had already declared he was going to stay. Did I miss that? Williams going anywhere is a joke. He'd get absolutely mauled in the NBA right now because he can't shoot, and his upper body can't deal with big "3's." He's way too inconsistent on both ends; and I swear, every time a kid gets a breath of interest from the NBA, it seems people think he's automatically gone. I haven't even seen his name on the top 60 in NBA mock drafts. When you account for the fact that just 60 kids get drafted into the NBA and ~ 16-20 are foreign players; there's just no room for all of the "maybe" players to go. Williams is a mediocre college player who shows flashes of brilliance and equal flashes of ineptitude. Inconsistency and poor shooting do not mix well with the NBA. He'd do well to actually work on his game.

Great job Hutch, and this will really keep people curious this off-season. I agree with what you said, but Troy is such a wild card. I can't see him being a first rounder after this year. He is a very lazy defender who plays on his heels, because there is no way he should be this bad on defense. Let him go work out with Tony Bennett for a month. I agree with JBJ and Bryant, I see them coming back and making IU a top 20 team. Wouldn't be complaining seeing this line-up at all: RoJo, JBJ, OG, Hartman, and Bryant Then have Newkirk, CuJo, Green, Morgan, and Davis backing them all up. I'm sure I could be missing someone, but I think that is a very good line-up and bench.

Hopefully, the depth we have at guard with RoJo, JBJ, and Newkirk will give Green and CuJo some time to develop as freshmen. I was critical that JMor and OG wasn't getting enough time early in the season but looking back they were brought along nicely. If this can be done with CuJo and Green that could be key to provide depth late in the season.

Just tweeted by Rabjohns - Green has been selected for Jordan Brand Regional Game in Brooklyn. Story: http://rvls.co/1RCv4jM

Crean said on jmv Hartman played with a fractured wrist and that Morgan's surgery will keep him out the longest of the 3

Wow, I think that says a lot about the toughness of these players. I'm sure they're all minor surgeries but they were all willing to go out and fight regardless. Best of luck on the surgery and recovery.

Devonte was named the 2016 All-Long Island Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He's listed at 6'2" and 165 lbs. so he'll need to add some weight and muscle. The brief bio also has the following: "At the start of his lengthy high school career, he was known as Danny Green’s little brother. But when it was over, he was simply known as Devonte. Green averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game for Long Island’s best team. He finishes his career with 2,683 points, fourth in New York State history." Now that's an impressive statistic. Anyone interested in his game by game stats for his senior season, they're available at: http://scores.newsday.com/sports/highschool/player.php?id=197259

PS...this new format finally allows me to use GIF's. I will try to keep myself in check :)

Always in contention.* *Except the last Tournament Weekend.

This guy is like a premature ejaculation. Comes too early with info and ruins everyone's mood.

I feel like every Albers report on here should come with a huge panoramic picture of the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Osterman says his uncle said no decision has been made

Forgive my ignorance, but what the hell does one do as the coach in charge of Offensive Quality Control?

@ZachOsterman: Former Louisville and Texas offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has joined IU's staff in an offensive quality control position. #iufb First thought, he's kind of a big name to be taking this position. But welcome aboard!

See, all this elite talk and we want to take Spike? Why take a defensive liability? Not that he isn't a good player or person, not that he wouldn't contribute for IU... But it just doesn't seem to make very much sense. Especially given his injury situation.

So he's really underated.

Interesting...

I also think Hutch was absolutely spot on. My concern is whether or not JBJ is going to be the same player after a 3rd knee surgery. I fully expect him back as a starter at the start of the season but wonder if he'll still be starting at the end of the season. Otherwise, I agree with Jaybob's starting 5.

For the benefit of many of us who skipped Latin: In medicine, an avulsion is an injury in which a body structure is forcibly detached from its normal point of insertion by either trauma or surgery (from the Latin avellere, meaning "to tear off").

I think Crean has us a step below where I think the program should be. That being consist contenders for B1G championships. 2 outright in 4 years is nothing to put down but those 8th and 7th place finishes are a bit off, a 4th and 5th would be much better. I don't put a ton of emphasis on the BTT but winning more than a game every few seasons would be nice. The NCAA tourney is a bit of a crapshoot. I like the three Sweet 16s in five years. The one year of missing the NCAA and NIT stings and shouldn't happen going forward. The first round loss is also difficult to be happy about. Going forward an average of Sweet 16s would be nice. A Final Four or more to offset a first weekend loss could have the fan base feeling better too. I don't think we're too far off from those annual achievements. I do believe that is about the ceiling we will have with Crean. I'm not happy about it but after the last 20 years that's something to build on. If he Crean can get to that level I will be happy until an elite coach is hired by an IU administration stops talking about being elite and shows actions they want to be elite again.

Going by this article... http://www.newyorksportswriters.org/blog/2016-03-23-what-weve-got-here-is-failure-to-communicate-page-2.shtml 1) He started in 7th grade (6 yrs (7th-12th) is normally allowed) 2) ??? 3) Profit!

JBJ is not in a bubble. Not only did he see what happened when the team played good "D" he read about it and heard it a million times on tv and maybe radio. No doubt he also heard the "they are better without him" comments. I hope he comes back and proves everyone wrong. I have seen nothing to make me think he will play good D but hopefully he proves me and others wrong.

Long Island isn't really a hot bed for basketball. To give you an idea, Dr. J is undoubtedly the greatest LI'er to play basketball. #2 is a tossup between Tom Gugliotta and Wally Szczerbiak. Besides Devonte's brother, I can't think of another guy that was ranked high or went to a traditional power college program in recent times. From the little I've seen mainly from clips, I think its realistic that he can be what Rojo was his freshman year.

Made 1st team all-metro too. Starts at about 19:00. The analysts highlight him dribble driving and kicking to open shooters, tailor made to CTC's system. http://www.msgvarsity.com/2016-all-metro-boys-basketball-special-1.1789183

but starting varsity in 7th grade is!

Started varsity in the 7th grade.

Ooooh, that hurts!

A lot of people before this season had accused Crean of never being able to change his coaching style. I think Tom Crean improved as a coach over the last year or so. I didn't see the momentum-killing hockey substitutions. The confusing defensive switches from early in the year were done away with/simplified. No talk of players being run into the ground during late season practices. If we can lock up some of this 2017 in-state talent then I honestly don't think there will be much left to criticize. The list of coaches I would rather see here instead of Crean has grown considerably smaller.

Glad he blocked me on Twitter so I can't see his false "reports"

Never heard that one before, thanks for the laugh

Me too. I would have bought tickets to the Final Four on Friday night too.

Yes. Great ball handler and shooter, and able to defend well. Not the passer Yogi was, and not as explosive but very capable of being a solid point guard, same with newkirk Sent from my SM-G920P using BtownBanners mobile app

His parents said he would stay at New Albany for all four years, but we all know that can change.

Welcome aboard. Join the party.

A case of the shrivels, tmi, Boogaloo

@jon rothstein Michigan State's Marvin Clark will transfer, source told @CBSSports. Two years of eligibility remaining. He isn't a grad transfer but I didn't know where else to put this He was an iu target a couple years ago