BLOOMINGTON — From the very beginning of Indiana’s game against Miami (OH), it was clear the RedHawks couldn’t stop Oumar Ballo.
Ballo dished an assist on IU’s first offensive possession, and immediately followed it with a defensive rebound. The Arizona transfer had five rebounds within the game’s first three minutes, and finished the game with 18 — the second-highest total of his college career. He tacked on 14 points, on 5-of-6 shooting, and tied a career high with six assists.
The center’s dominant night helped power the Hoosiers to a 76-57 win on Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“I’m pleased with his play,” IU head coach Mike Woodson said after the game. “This is really the first time Ballo in his career has been featured. I mean, he’s such a big load. We had the size advantage tonight. I thought we took advantage of it, especially in that stretch where I think they went like six minutes without even scoring.”
Ballo can sometimes fade into the background for extended stretches. He’s not often the alpha he played like on Friday — though, in fairness, he doesn’t always have the size advantage he exploited against the RedHawks. This game showed Ballo at his best: a consistent force in the paint whose size will cause problems for opponents on both ends.
Indiana’s had mixed results early this season playing Ballo alongside Malik Reneau. It worked on Friday — Reneau scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting, with seven rebounds.
Ballo said he’s comfortable playing with Reneau and feels like their combination is strong.
“Malik is not the first big that I play with. Malik is really easy to play with ’cause whenever he get the ball to him, I know he going to try to find me or find an open guy,” Ballo said. “I feel we have a really good flow together. I’m excited to see it for the rest of the season how it going to turn out to be.”
Solid guard play
In addition to Ballo’s strong game, Indiana got a solid outing from its backcourt.
Myles Rice wasn’t flawless, but he gave the Hoosiers an important spark on several occasions. He shot an efficient 6 for 7 for 17 points, with a few acrobatic drives into the middle of a collapsing Miami defense that created looks both for himself and teammates. But he did finish with just one assist and three turnovers, all of which occurred in the final 3:10 of the first half. That aided the RedHawks’ comeback late in the half.
Still, Rice’s burst in the halfcourt was an important weapon for IU, and he played mostly solid defense on the other end.
Trey Galloway also played well, chipping in 13 points on a 5-for-8 clip. He went 3 for 4 from 3-point range, putting him at 8 for 14 on the season. After shooting a disappointing 26 percent from beyond the arc last season, he’s feeling more confident in his stroke now.
“I’m making shots right now, so it’s good. Just the same work I’ve been doing, just continuing to be consistent with it,” Galloway said. “But I think just trusting it and having confidence.”
Galloway also played 30 minutes for the third time in the last four games. He’s starting to look increasingly healthier coming off his offseason knee surgery. And it would be huge for IU if he can continue shooting well from outside — particularly with Kanaan Carlyle off to a tough start this season on the court. And the Stanford transfer missed his third straight game on Friday.
Mgbako’s rough night
Despite the result, Mackenzie Mgbako struggled mightily.
The sophomore was a non-factor offensively, scoring just four points which didn’t come until the last four minutes of the game. And he was such a defensive liability that he played only 24 minutes, including the final 4:12 after IU had finally pulled away. Mgbako let his man blow by him with little resistance far too often, along with many other miscues.
Woodson was all over Mgbako about his tough performance during the game. He got animated in his screaming at the sophomore from the sideline, on multiple occasions.
Ultimately, the Hoosiers didn’t need the former five-star recruit to come out victorious against Miami. But going forward, they’ll need him to play better.
Woodson didn’t express concern about any long-term tendencies for Mgbako, chalking this up to an outlier performance.
“He didn’t have a good night. I ain’t taking anything (away from him). Mack has been playing pretty good basketball for us,” Woodson said. “He had a tough night.”
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