Chloe Moore-McNeil's Defensive Force Could Carry Hoosiers in NCAA Tournament

Indiana women's basketball guard Chloe Moore-McNeil is a defensive force that is always tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player. Her strong guarding efforts plus her proficient scoring could lead the Hoosiers to a deep NCAA Tournament run.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Whether it's her scoring proficiency or defensive grit, Hoosier guard Chloe Moore-McNeil is always adding valuable minutes to help send the Hoosiers to their 27 season victories so far and will certainly propel them come NCAA Tournament time.

The Sharon, Tenn. native junior was tasked as the team's point guard when senior guard Grace Berger went down with a right knee injury in the Las Vegas Invitational last year. While player injuries always seem to hang a dark cloud over a program, one good thing the Hoosiers experienced out of the adversity was discovering Moore-McNeil was more than capable of leading the offense.

In the second half of the season, Indiana head coach Teri Moren said multiple times that Moore-McNeil is tapped to guard the opposing team's best player. For example, she put in work on Iowa guard Caitlin Clark in the Hoosiers' 87-78 win over the Hawkeyes in early February. Clark still managed 35 points as she's the Big Ten Player of the Year, but she also tallied four fouls.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, right, passes the ball as Indiana guard Chloe Moore-McNeil defends during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women's basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

© Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Moore-McNeil fits well into the program's defense-first culture, but her scoring is also impressive as she averages 9.7 points per game and scored her career-high 19 points versus Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals where the Hoosiers won 94-85.

In that matchup, Moore-McNeil also totaled a career-high 11 assists making her the most valuable player on the court in addition to senior guard Mackenzie Holmes's 27 points and junior guard Sara Scalia's 20.

If Moore-McNeil ever has a quieter offensive game, her defense is always secure even if it doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

Mar 4, 2023; Minneapolis, Minn., USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Taylor Mikesell (24) looks to pass while Indiana Hoosiers guard Chloe Moore-McNeil (22) defends during the first half at Target Center.

© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana's all-time leading scorer Tyra Buss said before the tournament if she were still playing college ball, she wouldn't want Moore-McNeil to guard her because she makes it too difficult to get open looks and score.

If the Hoosiers are to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, Moore-McNeil's talent on defense will surely help stop some of the nation's best scorers and ultimately lead Indiana to wins or close games.

For now, Indiana awaits its fate on Selection Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN to see if it earns the one-seed and will host the first and second rounds in Bloomington, Ind.

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• INDIANA TO REST AND RECOVER Indiana women's basketball coach Teri Moren said the break between the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament will be good for those on the team that are having some health issues. CLICK HERE
• LaMENDOLA, BEAMONT WIN RESPECTIVE GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Indiana guard recruits Julianna LaMendola and Lenée Beaumont have been named their respective state's Gatorade Player of the Year after taking their high schools to the state tournament and stuffing the stat sheet all season. CLICK HERE