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Indiana returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Chattanooga at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Mocs are 8-4 and have won three straight. IU leads the all-time series, 3-0.
Saturday’s game tips off at noon ET on BTN:
Indiana has two non-conference games before Big Ten play resumes against Rutgers on January 2 in Bloomington.
Up first is Chattanooga, picked to finish second in the 10-team Southern Conference in the preseason. The Hoosiers and the Mocs last met in the 2016 NCAA tournament in Des Moines, with IU prevailing 99-74 in the round of 64.
Chattanooga has won its last two road games (at Southeast Missouri and Evansville) but is 2-3 away from home this season.
MEET THE MOCS
Chattanooga is led by the backcourt duo of fifth-year senior Trey Bonham and junior Honor Huff.
Bonham began his career at VMI in the 2020-21 season and played two seasons there before transferring to Florida. After a limited role with the Gators in the 2022-23 season, the Mobile, Alabama native transferred to Chattanooga for his senior season and his additional year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 6-foot guard leads the Mocs in scoring at 13.8 points per game. After shooting 41.3 percent from deep last season, Bonham is just 23-for-70 (32.9 percent) from distance this season. He also has a team-high 13 steals and averages just over two assists per game.
The 5-foot-10 Huff is the team’s point guard who averages just over three assists per game. He’s struggled with his shooting – 36.8 percent – but is still second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game.
Bash Wieland, a 6-foot-6 senior transfer from Bellarmine, starts at the three for the Mocs. Wieland is 10-for-31 on 3s and is the third Moc averaging in double figures at 11.6 points per game. Wieland is efficient inside the 3-point arc with a 60.3 percent mark this season on 2s.
Garrison Keeslar, a 6-foot-7 senior, has started 11 of Chattanooga’s 12 games at the four. He averages 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 25.1 minutes. Keeslar shoots just 26.9 percent on 3s.
Frank Champion missed Chattanooga’s first eight games but made his season debut against Lipscomb on Dec. 3 and has started the last three games. The 6-foot-7 senior from Lithonia, Georgia, is shooting 50 percent from the field and is averaging 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.
Sean Cusano, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, started the first four games but has come off the bench in the last eight for the Mocs. Cusano is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game and is the team’s leading rebounder at 5.5 per game.
Makai Richards, a 6-foot-10 junior who transferred from Pacific, provides frontcourt depth along with Collin Mulholland, a 6-foot-10 freshman. Richards is shooting nearly 65 percent from the field and averages 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game, while Mulholland is shooting 53.3 percent while averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.6 minutes.
Two other rotation names to know are senior guard Jack Kostel and sophomore wing Noah Melson. Kostel is 9-for-22 on 3s (40.9 percent), while Melson is just 7-for-34 (20.6 percent).
TEMPO-FREE PREVIEW
The Mocs are a high-volume, low-efficiency 3-point shooting team. Chattanooga is attempting 49.1 percent of its field goals from beyond the 3-point line, which ranks 23rd in the country. The national average is 39.5 percent.
Chattanooga shoots only 31.2 percent on 3s, ranking 258th nationally. On average, the Mocs are outscoring opponents by five points per game on 3s despite their high volume of attempts.
According to KenPom.com, Chattanooga ranks 270th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Opponents are shooting 35.4 percent on 3s (259th nationally) and 52.1 percent on 2s (205th nationally) against the Mocs.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Indiana by 14 with a 91 percent chance of victory for the Hoosiers. Bart Torvik favors Indiana by 19 with a 92 percent chance for a Hoosier win.
Indiana will need to bring its own energy tomorrow afternoon with an early tip and students at home for winter break. Given those circumstances, Assembly Hall will likely see one of its sparsest crowds all season.
Indiana is 7-0 at home this season and has won each game by at least 11 points. The Hoosiers can’t afford a slip-up in this game (or next Sunday’s game against Winthrop) ahead of the start of Big Ten play in earnest and plenty of opportunities for resume-building wins.
Filed to: Chattanooga Mocs
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