Indiana returns to motion Saturday afternoon when it hosts Chattanooga at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor. The Mocs are 8-4 and have received three straight. IU leads the all-time collection, 3-0.
Saturday’s sport ideas off at midday ET on BTN:
Indiana has two non-conference video games earlier than Large Ten play resumes in opposition to Rutgers on January 2 in Bloomington.
Up first is Chattanooga, picked to complete second within the 10-team Southern Convention within the preseason. The Hoosiers and the Mocs final met within the 2016 NCAA match in Des Moines, with IU prevailing 99-74 within the spherical of 64.
Chattanooga has received its final two highway video games (at Southeast Missouri and Evansville) however is 2-3 away from dwelling this season.
MEET THE MOCS
Chattanooga is led by the backcourt duo of fifth-year senior Trey Bonham and junior Honor Huff.
Bonham started his profession at VMI within the 2020-21 season and performed two seasons there earlier than transferring to Florida. After a restricted function with the Gators within the 2022-23 season, the Cell, Alabama native transferred to Chattanooga for his senior season and his extra 12 months of eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 6-foot guard leads the Mocs in scoring at 13.8 factors per sport. After taking pictures 41.3 p.c from deep final season, Bonham is simply 23-for-70 (32.9 p.c) from distance this season. He additionally has a team-high 13 steals and averages simply over two assists per sport.
The 5-foot-10 Huff is the crew’s level guard who averages simply over three assists per sport. He’s struggled together with his taking pictures – 36.8 p.c – however continues to be second on the crew in scoring at 12.5 factors per sport.
Bash Wieland, a 6-foot-6 senior switch from Bellarmine, begins on the three for the Mocs. Wieland is 10-for-31 on 3s and is the third Moc averaging in double figures at 11.6 factors per sport. Wieland is environment friendly contained in the 3-point arc with a 60.3 p.c mark this season on 2s.
Garrison Keeslar, a 6-foot-7 senior, has began 11 of Chattanooga’s 12 video games on the 4. He averages 5.8 factors and three.8 rebounds in 25.1 minutes. Keeslar shoots simply 26.9 p.c on 3s.
Frank Champion missed Chattanooga’s first eight video games however made his season debut in opposition to Lipscomb on Dec. 3 and has began the final three video games. The 6-foot-7 senior from Lithonia, Georgia, is taking pictures 50 p.c from the sector and is averaging 7.3 factors and a pair of.5 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per sport.
Sean Cusano, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, began the primary 4 video games however has come off the bench within the final eight for the Mocs. Cusano is fourth on the crew in scoring at 7.3 factors per sport and is the crew’s main rebounder at 5.5 per sport.
Makai Richards, a 6-foot-10 junior who transferred from Pacific, offers frontcourt depth together with Collin Mulholland, a 6-foot-10 freshman. Richards is taking pictures practically 65 p.c from the sector and averages 6.6 factors and a pair of.7 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per sport, whereas Mulholland is taking pictures 53.3 p.c whereas averaging 5.9 factors and a pair of.1 rebounds in 12.6 minutes.
Two different rotation names to know are senior guard Jack Kostel and sophomore wing Noah Melson. Kostel is 9-for-22 on 3s (40.9 p.c), whereas Melson is simply 7-for-34 (20.6 p.c).
TEMPO-FREE PREVIEW
The Mocs are a high-volume, low-efficiency 3-point taking pictures crew. Chattanooga is making an attempt 49.1 p.c of its area targets from past the 3-point line, which ranks twenty third within the nation. The nationwide common is 39.5 p.c.
Chattanooga shoots solely 31.2 p.c on 3s, rating 258th nationally. On common, the Mocs are outscoring opponents by 5 factors per sport on 3s regardless of their excessive quantity of makes an attempt.
Based on KenPom.com, Chattanooga ranks 270th in adjusted defensive effectivity. Opponents are taking pictures 35.4 p.c on 3s (259th nationally) and 52.1 p.c on 2s (205th nationally) in opposition to the Mocs.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Indiana by 14 with a 91 p.c likelihood of victory for the Hoosiers. Bart Torvik favors Indiana by 19 with a 92 p.c likelihood for a Hoosier win.
Indiana might want to carry its personal power tomorrow afternoon with an early tip and college students at dwelling for winter break. Given these circumstances, Meeting Corridor will seemingly see one in all its sparsest crowds all season.
Indiana is 7-0 at dwelling this season and has received every sport by a minimum of 11 factors. The Hoosiers can’t afford a slip-up on this sport (or subsequent Sunday’s sport in opposition to Winthrop) forward of the beginning of Large Ten play in earnest and loads of alternatives for resume-building wins.
Filed to: Chattanooga Mocs
