As Indiana men’s basketball converged for its huddle at the under-four media timeout in the second half of Friday night’s 76-57 victory over Miami University at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo was one of the last Hoosiers off the bench.
Before he lifted his 7-foot, 260-pound frame, Ballo wiped sweat from his eyes. He quickly received a congratulatory pat on the back of his white No. 11 jersey before taking his spot on the left side of the Hoosiers’ huddle.
The team rallied around Mike Woodson, but Ballo’s eyes and attention appeared only half-focused on Indiana’s head coach.
Ballo wasn’t disengaged. He had merely clocked out of a workmanlike shift — one that only two other Hoosiers, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jared Jeffries, have ever matched: eclipsing 10 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
The Koulikoro, Mali, native scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field, pulled down 18 rebounds and dished six assists. His rebound total is the second-best mark of his career, trailing only the 21 boards he collected Dec. 23, 2023, while playing for the University of Arizona. His six assists matched a career high previously set with the Wildcats on Jan. 28, 2023.
Miami’s tallest starter was 6-foot-9 junior Antwone Woolfolk, who played only 19 minutes due to foul trouble. His backup, 7-foot-1 sophomore Reece Potter, weighed 45 pounds less than Ballo.
And on a chilly Friday night in Bloomington, Ballo gave Indiana its fourth-ever game of 10-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, and its first in under 30 minutes.
“I'm pleased with his play,” Woodson said postgame. “This is really the first time Ballo, in his career, has been featured. He's such a big load. We had the size advantage tonight. I thought we took advantage of it.”
Woodson specifically pointed to Miami’s near six-and-a-half minute scoring drought in the second half, during which the Hoosiers used a 12-0 run to cement their seventh nonconference victory.
Indiana’s defense not only suffocated the RedHawks, but its size proved impactful inside. Ballo hit two free throws, while junior forward Malik Reneau made a pair of shots at the rim. Senior forward Luke Goode capped the run with an and-one layup. Ballo added three rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot during the Hoosiers’ game-sealing run.
Ballo said after the game he wanted to capitalize on his size advantage, but his success didn’t arise solely because of it. He praised his teammates for finding him early in transition, and his ability to seal Miami defenders led to uncontested finishes at the rim.
For Ballo, who entered the night averaging 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, Friday served as another step forward in his comfort within the Hoosiers’ offense.
“Coach has a lot of trust in me to make the right play,” Ballo said. “That's why ball screen situation, the ball is in my hand a lot, to make the right read. Fortunately for us tonight the shots were falling, so happy with the result.”
Ballo’s strong night came three days after Reneau said the two had to get better at playing together. The Hoosiers’ two-big lineup struggled in Tuesday’s night 97-71 win over Sam Houston State University, but both Ballo and Reneau produced Friday.
Reneau scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He and Ballo made a combined 13 –of 17 shots from inside the arc. Woodson refers to the two-big play style as “buddy ball,” and Ballo feels comfortable playing next to Reneau.
“Malik is really easy to play with, because whenever he gets the ball, I know he’s 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’s going to turn out to be.”
Indiana may get a glimpse of what the rest of its season looks like Monday night, when it plays its first Big Ten game against Minnesota inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers will host the Golden Gophers riding a three-game winning streak, one in which they’ve trailed for just 97 total seconds. Miami never led Friday night.
Woodson is steadfast in his belief of the inside-to-outside offensive philosophy. His past three years on the Hoosiers’ sideline suggests that won’t change in conference play. After all, considering the significant size of other Big Ten teams, why would it?
“The Big Ten is big,” Woodson said. “Everybody's got big guys. Four and fives are huge in the Big Ten. It won't be a surprise when we play Big Ten schools that got the five and four that matches Ballo and Malik.”
But the Hoosiers have perhaps the conference’s best duo: an ascending star in Reneau and an accomplished veteran in Ballo.
Indiana’s offense is what it is, and its personnel won’t change. However, production can — and on a historically strong night from Ballo, it’s fair to wonder how far this year’s “buddy ball” iteration can go.
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.
