Best 2020s Indiana Men’s Basketball Players So Far: No. 16 Anthony Leal

In this series where Hoosiers On SI is ranking the top 16 men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football players of the 2020s so far, the No. 16 choice for football is Mike Katic.

Part of his inclusion was his performance on the football field, but another part of it was the fact that he was around for most of the decade. It would be hard to picture 2020s Indiana football without having Katic spring into the picture.

That is the same dynamic that Anthony Leal provides for men’s basketball. Along with Trey Galloway, he was there for nearly all of the ups and downs.

Leal played under both Archie Miller and Mike Woodson. He made his first career start in December 2021 – when future teammate Bryson Tucker was still just a sophomore in high school.

Leal was often on the bench from 2020-25 supporting his teammates. Until the 2024-25 season, Leal never had a very prominent role and injuries slowed him down as well. Injuries cost him part of the 2022-23 season, and he has applied for a waiver from the NCAA to get another year of eligibility.

Leal barely qualified to be considered. To qualify, a player had to average at least 15 minutes per game or play 64 career games. Leal qualified by the latter standard.

He only ranked in the top 12 in one category used for inclusion – accumulated win shares. He was 20th or worse in every other category of the 25 players who merited consideration.

However, numbers don’t really tell the tale of Leal. Apart from being a loyal Hoosier, and a Bloomington native, Leal had a knack for making the right play at the right time.

He made key contributions in wins against Ohio State and Penn State in the 2024 season, making late shots in both that clinched victories.

His good defense often stood out over the poor defense from his backcourt teammates, and his willingness to do the dirty work endeared him to fans right away and eventually won over the coaching staff.

He became a starter for Indiana on Jan. 17, 2025, and remained so for the rest of the season. Leal’s 2025 numbers won’t blow anyone away – he averaged 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists – but much of what he did well isn’t reflected in a box score. Some Indiana observers thought he merited inclusion on the Big Ten Defensive Team.

Leal also has a flair for the dramatic. Apart from the game-determining shots he made in 2024, he made an off-balance near-half-court shot against Rutgers on Jan. 2, and he made a half-court shot against Michigan that didn’t help the Hoosiers win but helped them cover the spread in a 70-67 loss on Feb. 8.