It should not have been hard. And yet, for the first 30 minutes of the game, it was.
No. 17 Indiana men’s basketball clung to narrow leads over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville throughout most of the night, unable to break away and establish a large enough lead to secure its first regular season win. With less than five minutes to go in the first half, Indiana was deadlocked with the Cougars at 27 as boos rained down in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
It may be the case that fans, players and coaches alike would have wanted a blowout, no-nonsense victory Wednesday night, like the Hoosiers’ 106-64 win over Marian University on Nov. 1.
But if it wasn’t for the tight affair Wednesday, Indiana might not have discovered the new and improved Mackenzie Mgbako.
The sophomore forward isn’t new to the Indiana program. His elevated play in the second half of last season helped propel him to co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, finishing the year averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds.
However, what Mgbako produced against SIUE was unlike anything he has done at the college level. When Indiana needed a play, on offense or defense, he was the one who made it.
Mgbako scored 10 points in the first seven minutes of the game before heading to the bench. Following his substitution, Indiana’s double-digit lead quickly fell, and when the game reached the 27-27 scoreline, Mgbako’s services were requested. He responded with a 3-point bucket and an immediate steal, leading to 3-point play.
In the second half, Indiana held a 9-point lead with only 11 minutes to play, and with SIUE gaining momentum, head coach Mike Woodson turned to Mgbako. His impact was instantaneous, as he ripped off a personal 7-2 run.
“I thought he was the only one that truly played pretty good offense tonight,” Woodson said postgame about Mgbako. “This team was able to hang around. A lot of that is because we just didn't execute. I got to get us better in that regard.”
Mgbako’s 3-point shooting will be critical for a squad struggling to score from beyond the arc through two exhibitions and a regular season game, but the Gladstone, New Jersey, native noted his defensive improvements over the offseason rather than anything on the offensive side of the ball.
“A big thing is defense creating offense,” Mgbako said postgame. “Being able to know the reads on the defensive side, that leads to offense.”
Mgbako managed a scoring output from all levels of the court, whether it was 3-point shooting, mid-range jumpers or cutting to the rim. He acknowledged his “aggressive” playstyle, which contributed to early makes on contested long-range attempts or drives to the paint that resulted in buckets.
However, beyond Mgbako, little went right offensively for Indiana throughout the night. A year ago, that plagued its early non-conference contests.
Close victories over Florida Gulf Coast University, Army West Point and Wright State University signaled a worrying trend for the Hoosiers, one which they never truly managed to overcome over the course of the year.
But with Mgbako back in Bloomington for a second season, Indiana has a proven scorer that is not afraid to work on the defensive end.
One offensive outburst over a squad ranked No. 315 in the KenPom rankings may not warrant star status for Mgbako, but in Indiana’s largest margin of victory since the 2022-23 season, 31 points on 13 for 17 shooting and 4 for 5 from 3-point shooting cannot be disregarded.
It may not be Mgbako every night, as fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway noted postgame. But whoever steps up is merely hypothetical –– Mgbako made it a reality.
“He’s a guy that can score for us, and we know that,” Galloway said. “He did that tonight. We’re going to need him to do it a lot of times.”
In an offseason headlined by top transfers such as sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo and redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, Mgbako’s importance was largely underappreciated. But don’t forget about Mgbako –– his stardom is just beginning.
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.
