Indiana returns to play on 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 match tips will air at 12:00 pm ET on BTN:

Indiana has two non-conference games remaining before Big Ten play resumes on Jan. 2 in Bloomington against Rutgers.

First up is Chattanooga, which was picked to finish second in the 10-team Southern Conference in the preseason. The Hoosiers and 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 on the road at home this season.

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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 there for two seasons before transferring to Florida. After a limited role with the Gators during the 2022-23 season, the Mobile, Alabama native transferred to Chattanooga for his senior season and his additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 6-foot guard leads the Mocs with 13.8 points per game. After shooting 41.3 percent from distance last season, Bonham is just 23 of 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, averaging just over three assists per game. He has struggled with his shooting – 36.8 percent – ​​but is still second on the team with 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 of 31 on 3s and is the third Moc to average in double figures with 11.6 points per game. Wieland is efficient inside the 3-point arc with a 60.3 percent mark on 2s this season.

Garrison Keeslar, a 6-foot-7 senior, has started 11 of Chattanooga’s 12 games on the four-man team. He averages 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 25.1 minutes. Keeslar only shoots 26.9 percent on 3s.

Frank Champion missed Chattanooga’s first eight games, but made his season debut on December 3 against Lipscomb and started the final 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 came off the bench in the Mocs’ final eight games. Cusano is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game and is the team’s leading rebounder at 5.5 points per game.

Makai Richards, a 6-foot-10 junior who transferred from Pacific, provides depth up front along with Collin Mulholland, a 6-foot-10 freshman. Richards is shooting nearly 65 percent from the field and averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game, while Mulholland is shooting 53.3 percent and averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.6 Minutes scored.

Two other rotation names to know are senior guard Jack Kostel and sophomore wing Noah Melson. Kostel is 9 of 22 on 3s (40.9 percent), while Melson is just 7 of 34 (20.6 percent).

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The Mocs are a high-volume, low-efficiency 3-point shooting team. Chattanooga attempts 49.1 percent of its field goals from beyond the 3-point line, ranking 23rd nationally. The national average is 39.5 percent.

Chattanooga is shooting just 31.2 percent on 3s and ranks 258th nationally. On average, the Mocs outscore their opponents by five points per game on 3s, despite their high number of attempts.

According to KenPom.com, Chattanooga ranks 270th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Against the Mocs, opponents are shooting 35.4 percent on 3s (259th nationally) and 52.1 percent on 2s (205th nationally).

What matters

The KenPom forecast calls for a 14-point lead over Indiana with a 91 percent chance of victory for the Hoosiers. Bart Torvik favors Indiana by 19 with a 92 percent chance of a Hoosier win.

Indiana will have to bring its own energy tomorrow afternoon, with an early tip and students staying home for winter break. Under these circumstances, Assembly Hall will likely see one of the sparsest crowds all season.

Indiana is 7-0 at home this season and has won every game by at least 11 points. The Hoosiers can’t afford a slip-up in this game (or next Sunday’s game against Winthrop) before the Big Ten plays in earnest and there are plenty of opportunities for resume-boosting wins.

Submitted to: Chattanooga Mocs