After a little over a week off for Christmas break, Indiana basketball returns to action on Sunday afternoon inside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, as visiting Winthrop pulls into Bloomington for a 4:00 p.m. ET tip.
The Hoosiers (9-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten) enter the final non-conference game of the regular season following a 74-65 win over Chattanooga last Saturday. The Eagles (10-4 overall, 0-0 in Big South) also had a week off after a thrilling 102-97 victory against Mercer.
Before Sunday afternoon's game, preview the matchup between Indiana and Winthrop.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Mark Prosser
Record: 102-98 in 7th year overall, 65-45 in fourth season at Winthrop
Mark Prosser was hired in 2021 after the departure of now Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey.
Prosser played collegiately at Marist College before a knee injury ended his career.
Prosser is the son of the late Skip Prosser who coached Kelsey at Xavier and later served as his mentor at Wake Forest, was the head coach at Brevard College this past year following two different stints as an assistant coach at Wofford College totaling four years and five years at Bucknell University.
In his first season with the Eagles, Prosser led the team to a 23-9 record, winning the Big South Conference's Regular Season title.
THIS SEASON
Entering Sunday's matchup with the Hoosiers, Winthrop sits at 10-4 on the season.
Three of the Eagles' four losses have come to teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, including to its former head coach Pat Kelsey and his Louisville Cardinals.
As a group, Winthrop is averaging 86.2 points per game, while shooting 45.7 from the floor and 30.9% from 3-point range--on 21.4 attempts a night. So far this year, the Mocs are turning it over 13.9 times a game.
On the other side of the ball, Winthrop is surrendering 74.1 points a game this season. The Mocs' opponents are shooting 42.0% from the field and 34.9% from downtown in the non-conference portion of the 2024 season.
According to Kenpom, Chattanooga ranks as the No. 189 team in the country. The Eagles possess the nation's 182nd-ranked offense and the 187th-ranked defense. Chattanooga also ranks 194th in the NET.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kelton Talford -- At 6-foot-7, Talford leads Winthrop in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per contest. In addition to scoring, the senior forward leads his team in rebounds, hauling in 8 boards per game. Talford earned first-team all-Big South honors last season for the second consecutive season.
Kasen Harrison -- Averaging 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest, Huff is the primary creator for the Eagles, leading the team in assists. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Huff is shooting 54.1% from the field and 31.8% from downtown to in his senior season. In his third season after transferring from Lamar, Harrison started in 29 games, scoring 10 or more points in 19 of those games.
K.J. Doucet -- A transfer from Fort Valley State, Doucet stands 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds. The senior from Austell, Georgia, is averaging 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. He's shooting at a 55.1% clip from the field this year and a 41.7% clip from downtown.
STORYLINES TO MONITOR
Did Indiana use the week off to its advantage?
After narrowly beating Chattanooga last weekend, both Mike Woodson and Malik Reneau were excited to hit the reset button with a week off with their families for Christmas. The team reconvened on Thursday for practice in preparation for Sunday's final non-conference game. Entering conference play, will the Hoosiers rest benefit them for what will be a grueling conference slate?
Can Indiana avoid long stretches without points?
In the second half of last weekend's victory against Chattanooga, Indiana went nearly ten minutes without a made basket. Riddled with poor passing and lackluster effort, the Hoosiers saw a double-digit lead evaporate to under five. Indiana's offense can ill-afford to go on lengthy scoring droughts in conference play, but also needs to do so against a high-powered Winthrop offense.
Will the offense compliment the defense?
During the nearly ten-minute scoring drought, Indiana was suffocating on the defensive end, picking up the offense's slack. The Mocs never got within a possession of the Hoosiers in the span. Though Woodson disagrees, Indiana has yet to play a complete 40-minute game on both ends of the floor. There is no better time to do so in the final non-conference game of the regular season.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (9-3, 1-1) vs. Chattanooga (10-4, 0-0)
Series History: Sunday will be the debut game in the series between Indiana and Winthrop. The Hoosiers are 3-0 against teams that play in the Big South.
When: Sunday, December. 29, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Shon Morris (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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