Indiana men’s basketball started the 2024-25 season with an 80-61 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako led the Hoosiers in scoring, tallying a career-high 31 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Malik Reneau and sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo each added 15 points, while redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice scored 11 points.
Indiana, which shot only 10 for 44 on 3-pointers across two exhibition games, struggled again from distance. The Hoosiers went 6 for 16, but apart from Mgbako’s 4 for 5 performance, Indiana made only 2 of 11 tries.
The Hoosiers entered Wednesday as 27.5-point favorites, according to ESPN Bet, but were tied with the Cougars at 27 inside of five minutes to play in the first half. Indiana closed the opening frame on a 15-3 run, taking a 42-30 advantage into the locker room.
Mgbako had a game-high 19 points at the break, followed by Reneau with 11. They were the only Hoosiers in double figures after the opening 20 minutes. Indiana shot 50% from the field but turned the ball over nine times and dished only seven assists.
In the second half, the Hoosiers held a double-digit advantage for all but 65 seconds. Spearheaded by another strong showing from Mgbako, Indiana extended its lead to 22 points en route to a season-opening victory.
Indiana returns to action at noon Sunday when it hosts Eastern Illinois University inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
