Trayce Jackson-Davis named IU basketball’s first Blue Ribbon preseason All-American since Thomas Bryant

IU basketball forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is one of five to earn the prestigious honor of being named a Blue Ribbon preseason All-American.

The Greenwood, Ind. product is the first Hoosier to earn the distinction since Thomas Bryant prior to the 2016-17 season.

“Trayce has the opportunity to build quite a legacy for himself and our program,” said IU Coach Mike Woodson in a release. “He’s worked extremely hard this summer and we are counting on him to be a leader by example who sets the tone for everyone else on our team.”

The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is an annual publication which is compiled by a team of college basketball writers and includes preseason previews of every NCAA Division I men’s college basketball team in the United States.

After choosing to forego the 2022 NBA Draft, Jackson-Davis has a chance to put his name at the top of multiple statistical categories during his senior season at IU.

He enters his fourth campaign with the Hoosiers ranked 15th all-time at Indiana in scoring (1,565), 19th in scoring average (16.9), ninth in rebounds (797), seventh in blocked shots (178), and seventh in field goal percentage (55.8 percent).

He was named a third-team All-American as a sophomore, has earned All-District honors each of the last two seasons, and has been a third-team, first-team and second-team All-Big ten choice in his first three campaigns with the Hoosiers. Jackson-Davis will be the third leading returning scorer in college basketball next season, behind Antoine Davis from Detroit and Max Abmas from Oral Roberts.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition and am excited about the possibilities that are in front of us,” said Jackson-Davis. “My teammates and I are looking forward to building off the momentum of the end of last season.”

As a junior the Center Grove H.S. product ranked among the Big Ten leaders in points per game (18.3; 6th in the Big Ten), rebounds per game (8.1; 6th), field goal percentage (58.9 percent; 4th), free throws made (147; 5th), free throws attempted (218; 2nd) and total blocked shots (81, t-1st) in 35 starts for the Hoosiers.

Jackson-Davis anchored a Hoosier defense that was ranked as the most efficient in the league by KenPom (24th in the nation) and held opponents to a league-low 39.6% shooting from the floor.

Jackson-Davis has recorded 32 double-doubles and two 30-point/10-rebound performances in his career, and he set the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall single-game scoring record with 43 points against Marshall in November.

During the 2022 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, he averaged 25.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest on 34-of-51 shooting (66.7 percent) from the floor. Jackson-Davis broke five program records during the tournament run, including: single game points (31), single game made field goals (15), total points (76), total made shots (34) and total rebounds (25). He was named All-Tournament for his efforts.

The Hoosiers finished 21-14 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, defeating Wyoming before falling to Saint Mary’s. The Hoosiers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2013 after knocking off Michigan and top-seeded Illinois.

Those on the five-member All-American team include Jackson-Davis, Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Marcus Sasser (Houston) Drew Timme (Gonzaga) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky, Player of the Year).

Jackson-Davis and Bacot are good friends and will go head-to-head in November when Indiana faces North Carolina as part of the Big Ten / ACC Challenge.