Top 10 Greatest Shooters in Indiana Hoosier Basketball History

Greatest Hoosier shooters

Indiana is a state known for shooters and today we will take a look at the greatest shooters in the history of Indiana Hoosier basketball.

10) Keith Smart

He hit the greatest shot in Indiana Hoosiers history from the baseline to beat the Syracuse Orangemen in the 1987 National Championship game.

Smart was a JUCO transfer who made an impact as soon as he stepped on campus. In his two years he shot over 50 per cent for his career and shot over 85 per cent from the free throw line.

Hoosier Rising – Keith Smart Describes “The Shot”

9) Ted Kitchell

Kitchel had his best statistical season ever with the Cream and Crimson during 1981-1982, leading the team in scoring and averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 53% from the field and making 7 of 13 shots at total attempts per game.

As a senior, Kitchel maintained his high-performance levels. He became Indiana’s second-leading scorer with 17.3 points per game while also contributing 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists – helping the Hoosiers reach 24-6 records and being seeded as the #2 team in the NCAA Tournament.

Big Ten Elite: 1981 Indiana Basketball 2

8) Brian Evans

Evans could shoot it from anywhere, and he was named the Big Ten MVP in 1996. Evans was an above-average free Throw shooter who made 80 per cent for his career.

Brian Evans had his best season with Indiana during their last and final year together. Averaging 21.2 points per game, they finished second in the Big Ten before losing in the regional semi-final round of the NCAA Tournament in 1996 against 11th-seed Boston College despite Brian’s phenomenal showing. Brian’s Indiana basketball career ended at 1,701 total points scored over his three years there.

Hoosier Basketball legend Brian Evans for three against Kansas!

7) Matt Roth

Roth was an incredible shooter, but he was only a three-point shooter, as strange as that seems. An astonishing 90.1 per cent (303 of 336) of Roth’s shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and only 15 of his 141 made field goals were 2-pointers! Opposing teams knew when Roth entered a game that all they would see were 3-point shots being hit consistently from him – something Roth did masterfully!

Matt Roth. 2011-12

6) Jimmy Rayl

At Indiana University, he earned two All-American awards; was twice selected all-Big 10; set an all-time IU single-game scoring record with 56 twice; made 32 consecutive free throws without missing. Rayl only really played his junior and Senior year at Indiana and averaged 24 points per game during those two seasons and shot around 43 per cent for the two years, and remember, he had no three-point line when he played.

Remembering Jimmy Rayl’s fantastic basketball life

5) Randy Wittman

Randy Wittman earned Second Team All-American status due to his performance during the 1982-83 season when Indiana was ranked #1 and looked like a contender to take home its fourth national championship title; however, an injury to one of its best players, Ted Kitchel, put an end to their pursuit and they lost in the Sweet Sixteen round against Kentucky.

Whitman’s baseline jumper right before halftime against North Carolina in the 1981 National Championship game was a huge momentum boost for the Hoosiers. Whittman for his career shot over 50 per cent from the field.

Indiana vs Ohio State – 3/12/83

4) Calbert Cheaney

Cheaney boasts an outstanding 43.8 career mark from deep, which compares favorably with that of Roth and Hulls. However, Cheaney relied less heavily on perimeter shots; just 33.2 per cent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc compared to 58.5 per cent for Hulls and Roth’s impressive 90.1 mark. Cheaney was a complete player and could shoot the ball from anywhere.

Indiana vs Northwestern – 3/4/1993 – Calbert Cheaney Breaks Both Records

3) Jay Edwards

Edwards was a prize recruit from Marion High School and did not disappoint. Edwards only played two years at Indiana, but in those two years, he staked a claim as one of the greatest shooters in Hoosier history.

Edwards is widely considered one of the smoothest players and best shooters Indiana basketball has ever seen, setting an NCAA freshman single-season 3-point field goal percentage record at 53.6% as a freshman. Edwards won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors during that season and led Indiana to win their inaugural Big Ten title while averaging 20.0 points a game!

Jay Edwards buzzer beater

2) Jordan Hulls

Indiana won its first Big Ten outright championship since 1993 in 2013, made two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances, and held onto its No. 1 ranking for much of the 2012-13 season. Hulls finished his career ranked 30th all-time at Indiana in scoring (1,318), fourth for career three-point field goal percentage (44.1%), third in free throw percentage (85.5%) and an incredible streak of 58 consecutive free throws made over two seasons in 2010-11 which set an IU and Big Ten record.

Jordan Hulls Highlights

1) Steve Alford

Alford was a big-time scorer and did it strictly off jump shots. He shot over 50 per cent from the field in his career and shot 53 per cent the one year that the three-point line existed in his career. Alford was clutch, as he proved in the 1987 NCAA Championship games against Syracuse as he hit seven three-pointers during the game.

1984 Olympic Gold Medalist… Team MVP at Indiana University for four consecutive years; 1986 and 1987 All-American; won 1987 NCAA National Champions; graduated as all-time leading scorer (2,438) and all-time leading stealer (187) at IU.

Steve Alford- 1987 NCAA Tourney Scoring Highlights

Honorable Mention

Kyle Hornsby

AJ Guyton

Eric Gordon

Tom Coverdale