Indiana had to sweat this one out, but the Hoosiers still found a way to leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse with an 83-80 win over Syracuse on Monday night and move to 3-0.
For a game that never really gave either side much breathing room, the numbers tell the story. Indiana didn’t separate, Syracuse kept answering, and the final margin stayed razor-thin all the way through the last shot.
One of the biggest reasons the Orange hung around was Ryan Moesch. The freshman point guard, a former 4-star prospect per 247Sports, came in with just six points on the season, all of them against Central Connecticut.
Against Indiana, he flipped the script completely. Moesch led Syracuse with 19 points, shooting 6-13 from the field and 3-5 from 3-point range while adding six assists.
He also made his presence felt defensively, including a pressure play that forced Bryce Lindsay into a turnover. He wasn’t just a surprise contributor - he was a major reason Syracuse had a real chance late, even drawing a foul on Lindsay to help the Orange regain possession while down 3.
Indiana, meanwhile, didn’t get enough from Aiden Sherrell. The transfer portal addition had a quiet night, and early foul trouble set the tone.
Sherrell picked up two fouls just a few minutes into the game and never really settled in after that. He finished with six points in 18 minutes, going 2-for-2 from deep, but he took only those two shots and grabbed just one rebound.
For a player expected to matter so much to Indiana’s rebounding identity, that kind of line won’t cut it.
The Hoosiers did make their presence felt on the glass, though, and that mattered in a game this tight. Indiana finished with a 37-28 edge in rebounds, a nine-board advantage that loomed large in a contest decided by three points.
Samet Yigitoglu paced the Hoosiers with 10 rebounds, though there were moments where he could have been stronger securing the ball. Jaeden Mustaf also gave Indiana a lift with seven rebounds, finishing second on the team.
If Indiana wants to keep building this season, the formula is clear from this one: the rebounding has to stay a strength, and Sherrell’s impact has to be bigger than it was Monday night.
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