The Indiana Hoosiers will be gunning for a berth in the Round of 32, especially with a potential showdown with archrivals the Kentucky Wildcats. But before Indiana gets ahead of themselves, they’ll still need to get past Chattanooga, who figure to be a pretty tough out.
The Moccasins are coming in as Southern Conference regular season and tournament champions. They have a pretty good head coach guiding the way, and a deep-set bench to help keep the game flowing. Can the Mocs catch Indiana looking ahead to Kentucky? Or will the Hoosiers blow out their unheralded opponents? Read on as we take a look at this intriguing matchup.
The Indiana Hoosiers had a dominant conference run in the regular season. They went 15-3 in the Big Ten to capture the regular season conference title. The Hoosiers can thank Yogi Ferrell for their solid run. He’s one of the best point guards in the nation, averaging 17.1 points and 5.5 assists per game. Good guard play will come a long way in the NCAA Tournament.
Ferrell can utilize his solid playmaking surrounded by capable scorers. James Blackmon Jr. (15.8 points per game), Troy Williams (13) and Thomas Bryant (13) can all score in bunches. Together, the Hoosiers rank 11th in the nation in scoring offense with 82.7 points per game. Ball movement is a big part of their game with 16.1 assists per outing (32nd in the nation).
Ferrell and the Hoosiers have a pretty tough out in the Round of 64. They take on the Chattanooga Moccasins, owners of one of the best scoring defenses in the nation (53rd with 66.6 points allowed per game).
Finding the open man will be important for Indiana. They can mix up their game by having Blackmon threatening from outside as a spot up shooter, making 46 percent of his threes this season. Ferrell is also an effective three-point shooter, making 42 percent of his shots from downtown.
While the two can score treys, Indiana can balance their offense by pounding the ball inside to center Thomas Bryant. He’s incredibly efficient, leading the team with a 67 percent field goal percentage.
The Hoosiers are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
Betting on the Chattanooga Moccasins
Don’t count out the Chattanooga Moccasins. They’re led by a very good coach Matt McCall. He guided the Mocs to the South Conference regular season and tournament titles despite missing their key player Casey Jones. Through McCall’s guidance, Chattanooga set a school-record 29 wins in his first year on the job.
McCall has a loaded roster at his disposal. Junior Tre’ McLean is very dangerous, averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He has some help from forward Justin Tuoyo, who chips in 11 points and five rebounds per outing.
Depth won’t be a problem for the Mocs. They have seven more players (aside from McLean and Tuoyo) who are averaging more than seven points per game this season. Having plenty of capable players has helped Chattanooga record upsets against Georgia, Illinois and Dayton.
The Mocs will have a strong chance to stop the high-scoring Indiana from lighting up the scoreboard. They’re limiting opponents to just 66.6 points per game this season. They’re also pretty tough on neutral courts, owning a perfect 6-0 slate in such games this season.
Chattanooga is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as underdogs.
