Indiana University Athletics
‘Confident’ Moore-McNeil Embraces NCAA Tourney Moment
3/24/2022 9:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chloe Moore-McNeil's Indiana basketball eureka moment was fueled by a pandemic.
In part, anyway.
Welcome to 21st Century reality, where adaptability is a must, adversity hits without warning and nothing is sure except attitude matters.
That could play a huge role in Saturday's Sweet Sixteen showdown against No. 2 seed UConn at Bridgeport, Conn.
"One of the things I've been so impressed with Chloe is she's not afraid of the moment," coach Teri Moren says.
"This is a kid who is really talented."
So here was Moore-McNeil, a 5-11 sophomore guard out of Tennessee with a world of potential ready to reset the narrative of her season, even if she didn't know it yet.
First, All-America center Mackenzie Holmes went down with a mid-January knee injury. Then came a key trip to arch-rival Purdue. And then, although no one knew it at the time, a COVID-19 outbreak that would force the suspension of three games.
Moore-McNeil, an inconsistent reserve to that point, made her first career start at Purdue. She delivered 10 points (her first double-figure game of the season), six rebounds, an assist and a steal in a career-high 42 minutes.
The Hoosiers won in overtime and have kept on winning en route to a top-15 national ranking, a No. 3 NCAA tourney seed and their second straight Sweet 16 appearance, third in program history.
Moore-McNeil was a key factor through it all.
"The turning point was when COVID hit us for a long stretch," Moore-McNeil says. "I had started for the Purdue game. That's when I was like, I need to step up and produce a lot more because my team needs me. I need to be there for them."
She was and is.
In the final seven games leading up to the NCAA tourney, which included a start against Ohio State in the Big Ten tourney, she emerged as a defense-busting force.
She scored a season-high 11 points against Ohio State. In those seven games, she shot 54.5 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 88.3 percent from the line. She averaged 7.7 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Then, in NCAA tourney wins over Charlotte and Princeton, she scored, defended and thrived as an off-the-bench catalyst with a combined 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and one turnover.
"There have been some big moments where she's had to come in and show up in a big way, and she has," Moren says.
This is a huge step forward given Moore-McNeil saw limited minutes as a freshman.
"A year ago she came off the bench and had spot minutes," Moren says. "Then Mac goes out and we had to completely change how we're going to play."
That meant playing Kiandra Browne at center when IU wanted to go big and improvising with smaller lineups when it didn't.
"Being able to play small, which we've never done at Indiana, and really rely on Chloe, night in and night out," Moren says.
It wouldn't have been possible, she adds, without one key element.
"Her confidence has improved. No one has been more excited about her being a major contributor than our staff and players."
Where did the confidence come from?
"It's grown over the season because of my coaches and teammates believing in me," Moore-McNeil says.
"After Mack got hurt, Coach Moren came to us and said we need everybody to do a little more, produce a little more, go a little harder. That's really motivated me. My teammates have motivated me, as well."
Her teammates have noticed.
"She's a great player on both ends," senior guard Ali Patberg says. "We've seen that since she came here as a freshman.
"But her confidence has gone way up. She's stepped up and had big moments.
"She's been out there. She's had experience. She's handled it great. She's going to have a lot of great years."
Expectations were high before Moore-McNeil arrived on campus. She was a two-time Tennessee Class A Miss Basketball. She led Greenfield High School to a 34-0 state title as a senior while averaging 20.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. She shot 40 percent from three-point range and finished with 2,598 career points, plus more than 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals.
Still, she was a reserve as a freshman on a veteran IU team that reached the Elite Eight. She played in 25 games but averaged just 7.3 minutes.
This season, her playing time has tripled to 21.1 minutes. She averages 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds.
"She was a terrific high school player," Moren says. "She won the state championship. That's why we recruited her because she's a winner.
"She's going to have a great career at Indiana."
For now, that career centers on a UConn team that is 27-5 with 12 straight victories, 11 by 14 or more points.
IU (24-8) counters with balance, tenacity and the experience that comes from last season's Elite Eight run.
"They are such a special group," Moren says, "and I've been blessed to have them the last two years.
"We've been together a lot. We kind of like each other, so we want to keep this thing going as long as we can."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chloe Moore-McNeil's Indiana basketball eureka moment was fueled by a pandemic.
In part, anyway.
Welcome to 21st Century reality, where adaptability is a must, adversity hits without warning and nothing is sure except attitude matters.
That could play a huge role in Saturday's Sweet Sixteen showdown against No. 2 seed UConn at Bridgeport, Conn.
"One of the things I've been so impressed with Chloe is she's not afraid of the moment," coach Teri Moren says.
"This is a kid who is really talented."
So here was Moore-McNeil, a 5-11 sophomore guard out of Tennessee with a world of potential ready to reset the narrative of her season, even if she didn't know it yet.
First, All-America center Mackenzie Holmes went down with a mid-January knee injury. Then came a key trip to arch-rival Purdue. And then, although no one knew it at the time, a COVID-19 outbreak that would force the suspension of three games.
Moore-McNeil, an inconsistent reserve to that point, made her first career start at Purdue. She delivered 10 points (her first double-figure game of the season), six rebounds, an assist and a steal in a career-high 42 minutes.
The Hoosiers won in overtime and have kept on winning en route to a top-15 national ranking, a No. 3 NCAA tourney seed and their second straight Sweet 16 appearance, third in program history.
Moore-McNeil was a key factor through it all.
"The turning point was when COVID hit us for a long stretch," Moore-McNeil says. "I had started for the Purdue game. That's when I was like, I need to step up and produce a lot more because my team needs me. I need to be there for them."
She was and is.
In the final seven games leading up to the NCAA tourney, which included a start against Ohio State in the Big Ten tourney, she emerged as a defense-busting force.
She scored a season-high 11 points against Ohio State. In those seven games, she shot 54.5 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 88.3 percent from the line. She averaged 7.7 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Then, in NCAA tourney wins over Charlotte and Princeton, she scored, defended and thrived as an off-the-bench catalyst with a combined 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and one turnover.
"There have been some big moments where she's had to come in and show up in a big way, and she has," Moren says.
This is a huge step forward given Moore-McNeil saw limited minutes as a freshman.
"A year ago she came off the bench and had spot minutes," Moren says. "Then Mac goes out and we had to completely change how we're going to play."
That meant playing Kiandra Browne at center when IU wanted to go big and improvising with smaller lineups when it didn't.
"Being able to play small, which we've never done at Indiana, and really rely on Chloe, night in and night out," Moren says.
It wouldn't have been possible, she adds, without one key element.
"Her confidence has improved. No one has been more excited about her being a major contributor than our staff and players."
Where did the confidence come from?
"It's grown over the season because of my coaches and teammates believing in me," Moore-McNeil says.
"After Mack got hurt, Coach Moren came to us and said we need everybody to do a little more, produce a little more, go a little harder. That's really motivated me. My teammates have motivated me, as well."
Her teammates have noticed.
"She's a great player on both ends," senior guard Ali Patberg says. "We've seen that since she came here as a freshman.
"But her confidence has gone way up. She's stepped up and had big moments.
"She's been out there. She's had experience. She's handled it great. She's going to have a lot of great years."
Expectations were high before Moore-McNeil arrived on campus. She was a two-time Tennessee Class A Miss Basketball. She led Greenfield High School to a 34-0 state title as a senior while averaging 20.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. She shot 40 percent from three-point range and finished with 2,598 career points, plus more than 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals.
Still, she was a reserve as a freshman on a veteran IU team that reached the Elite Eight. She played in 25 games but averaged just 7.3 minutes.
This season, her playing time has tripled to 21.1 minutes. She averages 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds.
"She was a terrific high school player," Moren says. "She won the state championship. That's why we recruited her because she's a winner.
"She's going to have a great career at Indiana."
For now, that career centers on a UConn team that is 27-5 with 12 straight victories, 11 by 14 or more points.
IU (24-8) counters with balance, tenacity and the experience that comes from last season's Elite Eight run.
"They are such a special group," Moren says, "and I've been blessed to have them the last two years.
"We've been together a lot. We kind of like each other, so we want to keep this thing going as long as we can."
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