Friday night will be the last time five IU seniors will take the floor at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. They will be honored after the Hoosiers take on Ohio State. Here is what each player has accomplished during their time at IU:
Collin Hartman
The Indianapolis native has been with the IU basketball program for the past five seasons, providing different roles in each of his seasons with the Hoosiers. Hartman went through Senior Day last season after missing the entire year due to a knee injury, but he returned this year for his fifth year to be a part of Archie Miller’s first season in Bloomington.
This past season, he has been plagued with various injuries that have limited his minutes and his effectiveness. He is averaging 4.5 per game and 2.9 rebounds per game. In his junior season in 2015-16, he was a key part of IU’s Big Ten Championship team, starting in 24 games.
As a sophomore, he played in 32 games and was an unstoppable weapon from the 3-point range. He shot 47.5 percent from three and during conference play, he had the second-best 3-percentage in the Big Ten.
Freddie McSwain Jr.
In the final stretch of his career at IU, McSwain has played his best basketball. After transferring from Neosho Community College in Kansas, he struggled to find a big role for the Hoosiers in his first season.
However, with IU lacking big men this season, McSwain has emerged as one of the key figures in helping IU have success in the Big Ten. While is he only averaging 4.1 points per game, he has joined the starting lineup since the Michigan State game on Feb. 3. In that game, he had a career-high 16 rebounds.
So far this season, he has nearly doubled his minute and point total from last season while also playing a key role for IU’s much-improved defense. One of the key areas where McSwain has helped IU is on the offensive glass where he is averaging two offensive rebounds per game.
Robert Johnson
As Johnson nears the end of his senior season, he ranks in the top 25 of IU’s all-time scoring leaders and the top five in career made 3-pointers. The Virginia native has started more than 100 games in his time as a Hoosier and provided a consistent presence in the IU backcourt with at least 22 starts in each of his four seasons with the program.
The former top-100 recruit entered IU as a freshman in 2014 and made an immediate impact while starting in 33 of 34 games. He shot 41.5 percent from behind the arc in his first two seasons before becoming more of an all-around scorer as an upperclassman.
This year as a senior, Johnson struggled with his consistency in the first half of the season but has turned it on in Big Ten play. Johnson is averaging 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from the 3-point range in conference games. Against Iowa on Feb. 17, Johnson tied a school record for made 3-pointers with nine.
Josh Newkirk
After playing 70 games in two seasons with University of Pittsburgh, Newkirk came to IU in 2015 as a transfer and sat out while redshirting during the Hoosiers’ run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2015-16. The following year, Newkirk moved into IU’s starting lineup as a junior and played in all 34 games.
Newkirk had the best season of his college career in 2016-17 as he scored 9.0 points per game and led IU with 108 assists. He had two 20-point performances, including a career-high 27 points in a triple overtime win against Penn State.
This season, Newkirk has struggled at times and is shooting only 30.3 percent from the 3-point range, but he has still appeared in each of IU’s games. He has scored more than 500 points in nearly two full seasons as a Hoosier.
Tim Priller
Priller has been a fan and student favorite in his four years at IU after coming to the Hoosiers from Richland, Texas. “Priller Time,” as it is known when he checks in the game, has always been sure to bring the crowd to its feet.
He has appeared in 35 games in his time at IU and scored 26 points to go along with 21 rebounds. Priller’s best season came as a junior in 2016-17 when he scored 19 points in 27 minutes across nine appearances. Against Purdue in February of 2017, Priller scored six points in five minutes off the bench. He also made an appearance and provided a spark in a one-point win over Northwestern that season.
Priller has appeared in four games this season and continued to do his trademark hustle. He scored a point and collected two rebounds late in a win against Minnesota on Feb. 9.
