6-Banner Sunday: Indiana tops Chattanooga 74-65 for ninth win

  • Dec 22, 2024 8:39 am
 

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

Indiana’s struggles continued as they returned to non-conference play. While the latest game did not result in a loss, the outcome was another nail-biter against a mid-major squad.

This week’s 6-Banner Sunday also includes updates on women’s basketball, where former Hoosier players are, Bracketology and weekly shows. We will, as usual, conclude with a look at other IU sports, led by football falling in the CFP.

Here is what is in this week’s edition:

• Indiana beats Chattanooga 74-65
• IU women top Bellarmine for a fourth straight win
• An update on several former Hoosiers
• Bracketology and Power Rankings
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup

IU men’s basketball will play six games this season on Peacock and the women will play five contests on Peacock, making the streaming service a must-have for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using Inside the Hall’s link to help support the site and also enjoy Big Ten hoops all season long! In total, over 70 men’s and women’s games featuring Big Ten teams will air on Peacock this season (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock.)

Banner #1 – Indiana beats Chattanooga 74-65

The Hoosiers returned to the win column at Assembly Hall on Saturday as they returned to non-conference play. However, it was far from impressive as Indiana was taken to the wire against Chattanooga.

With Jakai Newton joining Gabe Cupps on the sidelines due to a long-term injury, IU trailed for much of the first half. The Hoosiers finally pulled ahead in the final 20 minutes but the Mocs stayed close throughout. In the end, though, Indiana held on for a less-than metrics-pleasing 74-65 victory. Only two players reached double figures for the home side as Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau each chipped in 14 points.

The squad improved to 9-3 overall. They have a long break until December 29, when they have their non-conference finale against Winthrop.

Afterward, IU coach Mike Woodson spoke, Inside the Hall had a photo gallery, Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After, Alex Bozich put together Five Takeaways and a story about what has gone wrong for Indiana, while Will Foley penned a column about the lackluster performance.

Banner #2 – IU women top Bellarmine for a fourth straight win

While the men continue to struggle, the women’s side is quietly improving as the season progresses. Last Sunday, they had their largest margin of victory this season against a decent Bellarmine squad 95-61 to improve to 8-3. The Hoosiers placed seven players in double figures as Karoline Striplin continued her strong play with a team-leading 17 points.

Indiana has their final non-conference game of the 2024-2025 season today against Oakland. However, they got a little bit of bad news as Lenee Beaumont (who has yet to appear this fall) had knee surgery and will redshirt.

Banner #3 – An update on several former Hoosiers

With the trade of former Hoosier center Thomas Bryant to the Pacers last week, Inside the Hall looked at where former IU players in the NBA stand. The other players in the pros are OG Anunoby (Knicks), Eric Gordon (76ers), Jalen Hood-Schifino (Lakers), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Warriors), Kel’el Ware (Heat), and Cody Zeller (Hawks).

Indiana also has players who were once in Bloomington but transferred to other colleges. This list includes Kaleb Banks (Tulane), CJ Gunn (DePaul), and Payton Sparks (Ball State).

Banner #4 – Bracketology and Power Rankings

While March Madness is still several months away, that has not stopped Bracketology from being released at this early point. IU has much work to do as it sits as one of the first four out according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. It should be noted this projection was made before Saturday’s close call. This result likely did the Hoosiers no favors in improving their standing, as their NET sits outside of the at-large range again.

Also, they sit towards the bottom of the league. Current power rankings have them 14th of 18 according to Inside the Hall.

On the other hand, the women’s strong play of late has made their postseason outlook much less tenuous. With victories over Baylor, Columbia and Stanford, they sit safely in the tournament as a 9-seed. With an elite Big Ten and a NET of around 40, this number could improve even more with a strong conference season.

Banner #5 – Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows

Podcast on the Brink was recorded this week. It featured UMHoops’ Dylan Burkhardt discussing the Big Ten.

The Back Home Network was on-air multiple times in the last few days. Assembly Call Postgame, seven Crimson Cast episodes, and Dribble Drive were all recorded this week.

Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup

• Football’s record season ended with a loss to Notre Dame in the playoffs to finish 11-2. Also, Curt Cignetti picked up another Coach of the Year award.

• Men’s soccer had three players drafted by the MLS.

• Volleyball added two more players to the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. They also had a trio of current athletes honored academically and another signed to play professionally.

• Swimming and diving added a grad transfer who medaled in the recent Paris Olympics. Also, several IU athletes competed at the World Aquatics Championship.

• Men’s Tennis released its schedule for the coming spring.

• 16 IU athletes graduated as part of the winter commencement.

Thanks for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

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Category: 6-Banner Sunday

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