Indiana University Athletics
NCAA Notebook: Meet the Mocs, Bryant's Drive, Morgan Emerging
3/15/2016 6:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Matt McCall's first year as Chattanooga's head coach was an accomplished one.
He finally got the Mocs over whatever was stopping them in the Southern Conference tournament.
McCall, a Florida graduate who learned under Billy Donovan, led Chattanooga to its first conference tournament championship in seven years, ending a streak of five consecutive years the program lost its first game in the league's postseason championship.
Chattanooga (29-5, 15-3) picked up non-conference wins against Georgia, Dayton and Illinois this en route to its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The latter was a mutual opponent Indiana also beat, along with the Southern Conference's Kennesaw State.
"We saw them on film early in the season when we played Kennesaw State," head coach Tom Crean said. "You can't help but follow a team throughout the year. I haven't seen them play a lot during the year. I will, but a team that wins 29 games and wins in the league the way they did, you have to have great respect for that and we do."
Beyond its wins, the Mocs have separated themselves as a team that gets to the foul line and forces turnovers without fouling much or giving away the ball. That much Crean knew without having to look into the film much.
Chattanooga, who Crean called "battle-tested," shot just about half as many free throws as they did total shot attempts during its conference season. The Mocs also led the Southern Conference in turnovers forced, coupling that with turning the ball over the second-fewest times in the league.
That means along with the mental pressures of playing in the NCAA Tournament, Indiana will likely be dealing with physical defensive pressure from the Mocs.
"We've handled pressure all year," Crean said. "We practice it and we prepare for pressure. We don't play it as much, but we prepare for it. We see it. I don't think it's going to be a lot differnet than seeing Iowa's press and things like that, but they have the ability to do different things."
Bryant Shouldering Personal Expectations
Perhaps nobody is harder on Thomas Bryant than Bryant himself.
The freshman center calls himself his own biggest critic, and despite earning a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman team, the 6-foot-10 center said he wants more.
"I'm always hard on myself. That's just the way I am as a player," Bryant said. "I'm a perfectionist. It's a curse that I have. I always want to do everything right."
Bryant has scored fewer than eight points and grabbed less than five rebounds just once over Indiana's last nine games. He's averaged 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over his last five outings.
But still, Bryant wants more. He wasn't entirely pleased with his 3-for-8 shooting in Indiana's loss against Michigan and said he could have been better on the defensive end. At this point, fifth-year senior forward Max Bielfeldt said Bryant is going out of his way to look for little things to improve on.
"I think it's a really great characteristic to have," Bielfeldt said. "He plays with a ton of emotion, lots of passion, but he's always looking to get better. That idea of never being satisfied, it's good for a player like him, even if he is too hard on himself sometimes."
In the locker room after the Big Ten Tournament, Bryant said he was already mentally going over things he needed to work on for the NCAA Tournament. On the biggest stage of his career so far, he doesn't want to settle.
"I want to be great," Bryant said. "You've got to go prove it."
Morgan Emerging At Right Time
Juwan Morgan Tweeted that he parted ways with his Mohawk Tuesday. The Hoosiers will hope the haircut doesn't change the freshman forward's play.
Morgan has been asked to be a defensive stopper at forward, battle through lingering shoulder pain and even play point guard at times for IU in recent weeks. The role changes have become something Morgan's gotten used to.
"When you're asked to do something, you've got to do it," Morgan said. "I'll do whatever this team needs as best I can."
Morgan, who averages 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game on the season, averaged just under five points and four rebounds per game over his last six games. As the production has increased, so have his minutes and the trust his teammates have in him during tournament season.
"It's fun, you know?" Morgan said. "This is what you grow up playing for."
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Matt McCall's first year as Chattanooga's head coach was an accomplished one.
He finally got the Mocs over whatever was stopping them in the Southern Conference tournament.
McCall, a Florida graduate who learned under Billy Donovan, led Chattanooga to its first conference tournament championship in seven years, ending a streak of five consecutive years the program lost its first game in the league's postseason championship.
Chattanooga (29-5, 15-3) picked up non-conference wins against Georgia, Dayton and Illinois this en route to its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The latter was a mutual opponent Indiana also beat, along with the Southern Conference's Kennesaw State.
"We saw them on film early in the season when we played Kennesaw State," head coach Tom Crean said. "You can't help but follow a team throughout the year. I haven't seen them play a lot during the year. I will, but a team that wins 29 games and wins in the league the way they did, you have to have great respect for that and we do."
Beyond its wins, the Mocs have separated themselves as a team that gets to the foul line and forces turnovers without fouling much or giving away the ball. That much Crean knew without having to look into the film much.
Chattanooga, who Crean called "battle-tested," shot just about half as many free throws as they did total shot attempts during its conference season. The Mocs also led the Southern Conference in turnovers forced, coupling that with turning the ball over the second-fewest times in the league.
That means along with the mental pressures of playing in the NCAA Tournament, Indiana will likely be dealing with physical defensive pressure from the Mocs.
"We've handled pressure all year," Crean said. "We practice it and we prepare for pressure. We don't play it as much, but we prepare for it. We see it. I don't think it's going to be a lot differnet than seeing Iowa's press and things like that, but they have the ability to do different things."
Bryant Shouldering Personal Expectations
Perhaps nobody is harder on Thomas Bryant than Bryant himself.
The freshman center calls himself his own biggest critic, and despite earning a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman team, the 6-foot-10 center said he wants more.
"I'm always hard on myself. That's just the way I am as a player," Bryant said. "I'm a perfectionist. It's a curse that I have. I always want to do everything right."
Bryant has scored fewer than eight points and grabbed less than five rebounds just once over Indiana's last nine games. He's averaged 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over his last five outings.
But still, Bryant wants more. He wasn't entirely pleased with his 3-for-8 shooting in Indiana's loss against Michigan and said he could have been better on the defensive end. At this point, fifth-year senior forward Max Bielfeldt said Bryant is going out of his way to look for little things to improve on.
"I think it's a really great characteristic to have," Bielfeldt said. "He plays with a ton of emotion, lots of passion, but he's always looking to get better. That idea of never being satisfied, it's good for a player like him, even if he is too hard on himself sometimes."
In the locker room after the Big Ten Tournament, Bryant said he was already mentally going over things he needed to work on for the NCAA Tournament. On the biggest stage of his career so far, he doesn't want to settle.
"I want to be great," Bryant said. "You've got to go prove it."
Morgan Emerging At Right Time
Juwan Morgan Tweeted that he parted ways with his Mohawk Tuesday. The Hoosiers will hope the haircut doesn't change the freshman forward's play.
Morgan has been asked to be a defensive stopper at forward, battle through lingering shoulder pain and even play point guard at times for IU in recent weeks. The role changes have become something Morgan's gotten used to.
"When you're asked to do something, you've got to do it," Morgan said. "I'll do whatever this team needs as best I can."
Morgan, who averages 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game on the season, averaged just under five points and four rebounds per game over his last six games. As the production has increased, so have his minutes and the trust his teammates have in him during tournament season.
"It's fun, you know?" Morgan said. "This is what you grow up playing for."
Players Mentioned
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