5 IND vs. 12 CHAT
Time: 6:10 PM CT
Spread: IND -12
Total: 147
Betting odds c/o 5dimes
Indiana finished the season 25-7 and had the best conference record in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers lost in the Big Ten quarterfinals though, falling 72-69 to the Michigan Wolverines. The Hoosiers will try to get back on track against No. 12 seed Chattanooga. Indiana is 12 point favorites in the game according to college basketball oddsmakers at 5dimes.
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In the loss to Michigan, Indiana put four scorers in double figures paced by Yogi Ferrell’s 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting. Ferrell is a 6’1” senior guard who should brings some poise and control for the Hoosiers. He averaged 17 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 34.6 minutes a night, but he also kept his turnovers down to 2.6 per game. Ferrell shoots the three well at 41.7 percent while knocking down 2.2 per game. He had a great game against Illinois in a 74-47 win on Feb 25, hitting 11 of 18 from the field for 27 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Indiana’s No. 2 option James Blackwell Jr. injured his knee and is trying to recover amidst rumors he might transfer. He tried to put those at rest and said he is just focused on rehabilitation, but losing him was a blow to the Hoosiers.
Troy Williams and Thomas Bryant have helped fill some of that void in production left by Blackwell. Williams averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season and Bryant was good for 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. Williams is a 6’7” junior forward who was a big time player last season as a sophomore too. He had 16 points on 5 of 12 shooting in the loss to Michigan, and he was instrumental in the blowout of then- No. 14 Maryland on Mar. 6.
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Williams had 23 points in that game, hitting 7 of 14 from the field and also grabbing five rebounds. He has scored in double figures in all but eight games this season, but Indiana was just 5-3 in those games. To ensure its success, the Hoosiers need Williams to be active and involved.
Bryant is a 6’10” freshman center who had a big season. Bryant averaged 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks/steals per game in just 22 minutes a night. He has averaged 11.4 points per game over his past five games, and he had a great game against Illinois on Feb 25, hitting 5 of 5 from the floor en route to 14 points and eight rebounds.
Bryant shot 68.6 percent from the field this season and he can stretch the court for the long-two. He took just 12 threes on the season but connected on five of them, so teams cannot just let him wander out the arc either. He is a talented big man and was perhaps the biggest key in replacing Blackwell.
The Chattanooga Mocs finished 29-5 and a first place finish in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga won the bid in the conference tournament by knocking off East Tennessee State. The Mocs put three scorers in double figures, with Tre’ McLean and Greg Pryor both chipping in 13 points in the 73-67 victory. McLean averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 31 minutes a night, playing the most of all Mocs.
Justin Tuoyo average 11.1 points and five rebounds per game, while Pryor contributes just under 10 points per game. The Mocs averaged 76 points per game as a team while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor as a team. The Mocs shot 36 percent from three-point range, and Eric Robertson led the team in three-point shooting having knocked down 80 of 198 on the season (40.4 percent).
The Mocs will need to play a near flawless game while knocking down plenty of triples to have much of a chance in this game as double-digit underdogs. Without any real premier scorers on the roster, it seems unlikely. The Mocs have a nine-man rotation, but it will be interesting to see if the bottom of that gets much time in the NCAA tournament where it is “win or go home” time.
