Trayce Jackson-Davis' historic run puts Indiana back in NCAA Tourney picture

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Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis plays like someone who knows there are only a few games left before his college basketball chapter comes to an end.

The Hoosiers’ senior big man has been on a historic tear of late. On Wednesday night, his 21-point, 25-rebound, six-block outing, including the go-ahead basket with 43 seconds left, led the Hoosiers to a 61-57 victory over Minnesota.

In doing so, Jackson-Davis became the first major since UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet in 2009 to post a 25-point, 20-rebound, five-block game.

Jackson-Davis also now has 228 career blocks, passing former Hoosier Jeff Newton as the program’s all-time leader in that category.

With Indiana head coach Mike Woodson sidelined with COVID-19, Hoosiers associate coach Yasir Rosemand filled in and didn’t shy away from expressing his feelings about Jackson-Davis in a postgame interview on Big Ten Network.

“If you can find 25 to 30 people better than him in the NBA Draft, hey, I’ll kiss your ass,” Rosemond said.

Yasir Rosemond praises Trayce Jackson-Davis

Indiana’s associate head coach had great things to say about Trayce Jackson-Davis after Wednesday’s road win over Minnesota.

Jackson-Davis made the decision to return to Bloomington for his senior season in hopes of not only improving his draft stock, but also leaving a lasting legacy with one of the most accomplished programs in the sport.

After the Hoosiers started the new year with three straight conference losses to fall to 10-6 (1-4 in Big Ten play), the team has now won four straight and is steadily climbing the standings of the conference Jackson-Davis has been the main catalyst for the Hoosiers’ recent run, averaging 27.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game during the four-game hitting streak.

[Next up Saturday: Indiana vs. Ohio State at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app]

He posted 25-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks in back-to-back wins over Michigan State and Minnesota, respectively. Only one other player, Chattanooga’s Jake Stephens, has recorded that stat line in any game this season.

Trayce Jackson-Davis seals Indiana’s win over Minnesota

Trayce Jackson-Davis’ bucket with 43 seconds left helped seal a 61-57 victory for the Indiana Hoosiers.

As Jackson-Davis’ record-setting streak continues to gain national recognition and his highlight dunks grace the Twitter feeds of fans across the country, the Hoosiers big man keeps a calm demeanor and takes it upon himself to credit others involved in its success.

“Oh, honestly, I’m just playing basketball,” Jackson-Davis said Wednesday. “Really, it’s nothing. I’m just trying to help my teammates, and at the end of the day, they’re putting me in a great position.”

At this time last week, FOX Sports support prognosticator Mike DeCourcy had Indiana on the bubble in their NCAA Tournament projections. Now, four straight wins behind his dominant big man’s historic streak, DeCourcy has predicted IU as the No. 8 seed and a lock to make the field of 68.

Among Division I schools, Indiana ranks in the top 10 all-time in wins, but it’s been 21 years since the Hoosiers have advanced past the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. While it looked like it was going to be another down year for the program at the start of the campaign, things now seem to be turning around.

Having a senior leader playing the best basketball of his career as the calendar is set to change in February certainly helps.