Who is returning for IU basketball? It comes down to Mackenzie Mgbako

While name tags will be helpful this summer, Indiana will have a foundation of returning players to help provide stability in Mike Woodson’s fourth season in Bloomington.

Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal got things started on Senior Day when they both announced their returns for fifth seasons.

Since then, Malik Reneau, Jakai Newton and Gabe Cupps have all indicated they are returning to Indiana.  That makes five of the 12 scholarship players from this past season who will be back.  Not a lot, but a better scenario than what the message board crowd would have led you to believe.

But there’s still one more Indiana player who could possibly return for next season.

What about Mackenzie Mgbako?

When we spoke to him before the season, Mgbako unabashedly stated his goal was to be one-and-done.  And there were NBA Draft projections at the time that placed him in the first round.

Things changed quickly, and early in his freshman season, it appeared the 5-star recruit had just one option — return to college.

But a strong back half to his first campaign at Indiana led Mgbako to be named the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year.