Indiana Basketball Ranked 24 in CBS Sports Preseason Top 25

The two likeliest dates for college basketball to start are Nov. 25 or Dec. 4. The Hoosiers could be preseason top 25 by the start of the season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Hoosiers are garnering some preseason attention as the college basketball season approaches.

In the CBS Sports preseason top 25 poll, Indiana is ranked at 24.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS: The 2020-21 @CBSSports Preseason Top 25 And 1 has been updated to reflect recent developments.

VERSION 26.0

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Villanova
4. Virginia
5. Iowahttps://t.co/dk5kd2uDOo

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) August 28, 2020

The description under their name reads, "The addition of five-star point guard Khristian Lander pushed Indiana's recruiting class into the top 20 and provided Archie Miller with the perfect compliment to an experienced roster. Justin Smith's decision to transfer stings a little. But the Hoosiers are still returning seven of the top nine scorers from a team that was projected to make the NCAA Tournament, and that should be enough to give Indiana a chance to compete at the top of the Big Ten standings."

There are six Big Ten teams ranked ahead of Indiana. Iowa is at No. 5, Illinois is No. 6, Wisconsin is No. 10, Michigan State is No. 11, Ohio State is No. 17 and Rutgers is No. 21.

Reports from Jon Rothstein indicate the two likeliest dates that college basketball is discussing to start is Nov. 25 and Dec. 4.

Sources: November 25th and December 4th have emerged as the two likeliest start dates to begin the 20-21 college basketball season.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 27, 2020

That means Indiana wouldn't be participating in the Maui Invitational, which is scheduled for Nov. 23-25.

At least for Indiana's schedule, the university is sending students home the week of Thanksgiving and giving them an extended break, which means they won't return to in-person classes until early February.

This means Bloomington would be less crowded and most likely easier to keep athletes safe and less exposed to COVID-19.

All in all, it seems like there's a real effort to try to get college basketball season to start this November/December, and if it does, Indiana fans will have a team to be excited about.

Below is the full CBS Sports preseason top 25:

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Villanova
4. Virginia
5. Iowa
6. Illinois
7. Kansas
8. Duke
9. Creighton
10. Wisconsin
11. Michigan State
12. Tennessee
13. West Virginia
14. Houston
15. Kentucky
16. North Carolina
17. Ohio State
18. Texas
19. Texas Tech
20. Oregon
21. Rutgers
22. Memphis
23. UCLA
24. Indiana
25. Arizona State

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