Oumar Ballo may be new to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but he’s already familiar with Indiana’s fan base.
The big man played against the Hoosiers with Arizona in December 2022 in a marquee non-conference matchup at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. IU was ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, at the time, while the Wildcats sat at No. 10. Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis faced off with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson in the paint, while Mike Woodson watched on from the sidelines during his second season coaching Indiana.
Ballo joined forces with Woodson less than two years later, transferring from Arizona to IU for his final year of eligibility. The center was ranked the No. 2 overall player in the transfer portal by 247Sports.
And when Ballo reflected on that game, during Indiana’s media day, he smiled as he recalled the crowd in Las Vegas that night.
“When I came out of the tunnel, I saw a lot of red jerseys, a lot of red shirts, and I thought it was Arizona fans. But actually, it was all Indiana fans,” Ballo said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god. This is crazy. We literally are like one hour flight away from home, but they travel all the way from (the) midwest to Vegas.’ It was crazy.”
That was the moment, Ballo said, when he realized how passionate IU fans are.
Of course, he and the Wildcats didn’t give them much to cheer about the rest of the night. Arizona rolled to an 89-75 victory over the Hoosiers, winning the game largely by dominating inside. Ballo posted a double double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and he helped limit Jackson-Davis’ impact on the contest.
Both teams went on to enjoy strong seasons after that game in Las Vegas. Arizona won the Pac-12 Tournament and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with the win over IU being one of several strong non-conference results boosting its resume. But the Wildcats bowed out of March Madness early, in a historic upset by No. 15 seed Princeton. Meanwhile, IU got a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 23-11 record after falling in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Hoosiers defeated No. 13 seed Kent State before losing to No. 5 seed Miami in the second round.
Ballo played in a lot of big games over his three years at Arizona, with seven NCAA Tournament games, two Pac-12 championship games, and plenty of significant regular-season battles. It’s a valuable background to bring to this IU roster, with varying levels of experience in big moments.
For Ballo, a businesslike mentality is key to handling those moments.
“For me, I know being in college, but it’s just like working out and go to do their job. Whether it’s a big game or not big game, I feel like once the season starts, every game is important,” Ballo said. “So we know to not look down on any teams, and we’re just going to come out every single day, do our jobs, and try to win every single game.”
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