BLOOMINGTON — Basketball fans know it when they see it, the smoothness, efficiency of an offense beating defenses with smart thinking, sharp passing and unselfishness.

Those are hallmarks of the Indiana University women’s basketball team, in summary called “sharing the sugar” by coach Teri Moren as a philosophy of passing up a good shot to pass to a teammate for a great shot.

That core thinking is why the Hoosiers are 12-0 during a Christmas break as they head into 2022-23 season Big Ten play after dismembering Morehead State 87-24 and topping Butler 67-50 at Assembly Hall.

This is the program’s best start in Moren’s nine seasons as coach. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 4 nationally, equal to the best ranking for the school in the national Associated Press poll.

Moren said fans tell her they like the “pretty” basketball her team plays, and they mean basketball the way it was meant to be played with cuts and feeds, the style written up in coaching textbooks. In today’s coach-speak, it is usually as good execution.

The Hoosiers breathe the approach. No more so than in overpowering Morehead of Kentucky (4-7), an overmatched team that allowed Moren to play everyone on the bench and see almost everyone score in the third largest margin of victory recorded in school history.

Statistically, carrying out the mission means keeping turnovers low (preferably under 11) and assists high (those passes leading to hoops). Ten players scored versus Morehead last Sunday afternoon with freshman guard Yardon Garzon notching a team-high 16 points. Senior center Mackenzie Holmes scored a game-high 21 against Butler on Wednesday.

After a few days off for Christmas, IU meets Michigan State Dec. 29 on the road and Nebraska on New Year’s Day at home. The game against the Cornhuskers has been moved to national TV on ESPN.

While it is satisfying to complete the nonconference portion of the schedule unbeaten, Moren knows the schedule ahead is dotted with land mines. IU may be rated as high as ever, but the Big Ten is well-represented in the poll. Ohio State (13-0) is higher at third, Iowa No. 13, Maryland No. 15 and Michigan No. 19.

Also, Nebraska is 10-3, Illinois 11-2 and Purdue 10-2. No pushovers there, either.

The Hoosiers have employed dominating inside play from the 6-foot-3 Holmes and excellent long-range shooting from Garzon, Sara Scalia, Chloe Moore-McNeil when needed and Sydney Parrish, inside and out. Most significantly, they won the last six games without standout guard Grace Berger.

Berger injured a knee about a minute into the Las Vegas Invitational against Auburn Nov. 25, has been on crutches, now wears a clunky brace and hasn’t played since, putting pressure on other Hoosiers to come together without her leadership and raise their own games.

“We all know our goals stay the same,” said Holmes, who is averaging 19.9 points. “We know everyone had to do a little bit more.”

The 6-foot guard has been headed to a pro career and is the rock of the team. Moren hopes Berger stops limping soon after the New Year and can play again by the end of January.

“They’ve learned that as important as Grace is, it requires them to do a little bit more,” Moren said of other players. “I’m not going to lie to you. We’re ready for Grace to be back.”

Defense also is lifting IU. These are ballhawks, who opportunistically make steals and turn the plays into fast breaks. The Hoosiers held Morehead to four, eight, five and seven points across the 10-minute quarters, not any everyday occurrence.

The way the Hoosiers breezed through much of the nonconference schedule and with the juggling of the lineup with Berger out, Moren has had plenty of coach observation time to determine just how much depth she has. When given PT, almost every player has had highlight stretches, including freshman guard Lexus Bargesser against Butler with eight points and six assists.

Bargesser was a sleeper get since she missed playing her senior year in high school in Michigan because of a knee injury. Among the 5,898 spectators at Assembly Hall at the Butler game, were some area girls high school teams, who witnessed a showcase for women’s basketball of the type Moren always stresses.

She regularly talks of growing the game, winning over new fans for women’s basketball, and having her program be an idealized version where young girls aspire to play.

“It’s pretty cool to be part of a team that inspires others,” Bargesser said. “Just last year I was one of those players watching.”

Now how much she does, can influence the outcome.