It took only 92 seconds.
Indiana men’s basketball, one day removed from a 28-point loss to the University of Louisville, was back in its huddle, already down 6-0 to No. 3 Gonzaga University in Thursday’s second-round game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas.
Offensively, the Hoosiers had recorded one turnover, a missed layup and a clanked 3-pointer. They had allowed two layups and a dunk. Head coach Mike Woodson had seen enough and called timeout.
Then, unlike the day before, Indiana punched back.
Once trailing 13-3, the Hoosiers pieced together a 15-3 run, taking their first lead in the Bahamas. They were playing fast, energized and inspired. Their lead lasted 33 seconds. They never led again.
The No. 14 Hoosiers (4-2) fell 89-73 to the Bulldogs (6-1) on Thursday in the Imperial Ballroom in Nassau.
Indiana, which hung around Gonzaga for the first 12 minutes of the first half and was as close as 33-31, bore witness to the Bulldogs’ 21-2 run in just over five minutes of action.
Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo scored each of Indiana’s 9 points before the run began. He scored the Hoosiers’ lone bucket during their collapse. And as Indiana faced a 54-33 deficit inside two minutes to play in the first half, Ballo had already scored a season-high 19 points — 57.6% of the team’s total scoring output.
None of Ballo’s teammates had more than 5 points at the time. And that, perhaps more than anything, summarizes the Hoosiers’ struggles to back up Ballo’s 25-point explosion, the second-highest mark in his college career.
“I have no complaints with big fella,” Woodson said postgame, noting Ballo’s improved since he arrived on campus in June for summer workouts. “He's doing everything that's been asked of him. We’ve just got to get the supporting cast clicking on all cylinders.”
Similar to Wednesday’s loss to Louisville, when the backcourt trio of redshirt sophomore Myles Rice, sophomore Kanaan Carlyle and fifth-year senior Trey Galloway combined for 3 points, the Hoosiers’ guards struggled.
Indiana received 6 points apiece from Rice and Carlyle and 4 points from Galloway, who added a team-high six assists. But they shot only 6 for 22 from the field and 1 for 9 from distance, and Rice, the team’s lead point guard, has only two assists thus far in the Bahamas.
Woodson acknowledged postgame Rice has struggled, and the Hoosiers need to help the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Rice get his confidence back — especially in terms of on-ball defense. Woodson liked Carlyle’s defensive intensity early, but each of Gonzaga’s four starting guards scored in double figures and senior point guard Ryan Nembhard dished a career-high 13 assists.
“I just think the two guards that we played out front these two games have kind of had their way in controlling the game,” Woodson said. “We got to get better guard play, because if we plan on making a run, or making a good run in the Big Ten, then our guard play has got to pick up.”
Yet for as much as Indiana’s backcourt has drawn criticism, the Hoosiers’ frontcourt — which includes the 7-foot Ballo and 6-foot-9 junior forward Malik Reneau — isn’t blameless.
Gonzaga’s starting five included only one player — 6-foot-9 senior forward Graham Ike — taller than 6-foot-7, yet the Bulldogs outrebounded Indiana 42-27. Ballo and Reneau had nine rebounds combined. Gonzaga also outscored the Hoosiers 46-40 in the paint.
Rebounding wasn’t problematic against Louisville, as Indiana won the battle 40-35. On Thursday, Woodson thought the Hoosiers’ inability to clean up the glass ultimately lost them the game.
“It's a major problem we've had,” Woodson said. “And a lot of it is we're not putting bodies on bodies to block out and that's got to stop. We’ve got to get our guys competing from a rebounding standpoint.”
Indiana’s struggles defending the paint is less of an effort issue and more of a fundamental problem. Woodson’s philosophy centers around protecting the paint, forcing the ball to the perimeter and scrambling outside to guard the 3-point line.
The Hoosiers, Woodson said, haven’t given themselves a chance to do the last two because they’re not in position to defend the paint in the first place.
“A lot of it is our believing in one another, believing in our rotations and being in the areas,” Woodson said. “We’ve been very awful in that category the last two games. Guys have lost a little confidence in that area and I’ve got to get it back.”
Yet as confidence issues surround the Hoosiers, be it Rice individually or the team’s defense overall, Ballo has reason to feel good about himself. The Koulikoro, Mali, native went 11-for-13 shooting from the field and 3 for 5 at the free throw line. He added four assists and three steals.
Ballo’s season-best game occurred, perhaps non-coincidentally, against one of his former teams. He started his college career at Gonzaga and spent 2019-21 on the Bulldogs’ roster before transferring to the University of Arizona for the following three seasons.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said postgame Ballo has improved his body and overall skill set. Ballo reciprocated the praise, dubbing the Bulldogs a great program with a strong history — something he said Indiana has, too.
“I’m glad we got to play,” Ballo said. “I wish we had a different result, but it’s a long season. We’ve got to learn from that and get better for the next opportunity we’re going to have.”
The Hoosiers have a quick turnaround, as they play at 11 a.m. Friday to wrap up their three-game trip to the Bahamas against the losers of Thursday night’s game between Providence College and Davidson College.
If Indiana wins, it will finish seventh in an eight-team field. With a loss, it finishes last. Where do the Hoosiers go from here? Woodson thinks the answer is a brighter field.
“We’ve got to get where we compete against top notch teams like this, and we'll get there,” Woodson said. “We've just got to keep working at it.”
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.
