Two coveted basketball recruits visit IU

What has been arguably the most hectic week of Indiana's basketball season to date will be followed by its biggest recruiting weekend. IU will host two blue-chip prospects for Saturday's regular-season finale against Michigan State.

Huntington Prep forward Thomas Bryant, a 2015 McDonald's All-American, will attend, according to his high school coach.

And a source confirmed Saturday to The Indianapolis Star that Thon Maker, a five-star center and one of the country's top players in 2015, will also be in Bloomington. Maker, a 7-foot forward/center, is the No. 8 player in the 2015 class, according to 247Sports. He also has offers from Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Arizona, among others.

Either player would fill an obvious need for the Hoosiers inside, given their current lack of post depth. Coach Tom Crean has brought McDonald's All American forwards to Indiana twice recently, Cody Zeller in 2011 and Noah Vonleh in 2013.

Crean is also currently facing questions about his own job performance. Indiana has lost four of its last six games, and fans vocalized their frustration in the form of boos at the end of Tuesday's 14-point home loss to Iowa.

Indiana is currently oversigned by two spots in the 2015 class, with Juwan Morgan and OG Anunoby set to join the program this summer. The Hoosiers do not have any seniors currently on their roster.

Syracuse, one of Bryant's other finalists, was hit with sweeping NCAA sanctions on Friday, according to a report from Syracuse.com. The report states that the men's basketball program must forfeit three scholarships per season over the next four seasons, and that coach Jim Boeheim is suspended for nine ACC games.

Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.