Indiana men’s basketball sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo was included on the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award preseason watchlist Friday.
The award, named after three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, honors the top center in Division I men’s college basketball.
Ballo’s appearance on the 20-player docket is his third entry to an award watchlist of the preseason. On Oct. 30, he was named as a favorite to be the 2025 National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I Player of the Year and Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year presented by AXIA Time.
The University of Arizona transfer came to Indiana after back-to-back All-Pac-12 First team honors and as one of six Power 5 players to average a double-double in 2023-24. In addition to his 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, Ballo posted 1.3 blocks per game which helped earn him a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
Alongside junior forward Malik Reneau, who was named to the Karl Malone Award watchlist Thursday afternoon, Ballo will be part of an Indiana frontcourt that lost leading scorer Kel’el Ware to the NBA Draft following the 2023-24 season. The Koulikoro, Mali, native will bring a veteran presence to the Hoosiers, who are looking to punch a ticket back to the NCAA Tournament after missing the Big Dance last season.
Indiana will face Division III opponent Marian University at 7 p.m. Friday in an exhibition matchup at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers will begin their regular season against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 in Bloomington.
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.
