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Wednesday, Jan. 22
The Indiana Daily Student

sports men's basketball

Indiana men’s basketball’s loss to Illinois ended with a scuffle. It stemmed from poor effort

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With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Indiana men’s basketball senior forward Luke Goode was whistled for a foul while attempting to box out for a rebound. Illinois senior center Tomislav Ivisic, who drew the foul, took offense. 

The 7-foot-1 Croatian loomed over Goode, upset with the hard contact. After redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice intervened, sixth-year center Oumar Ballo arrived late to the scene. 

Ballo, trying to defend his teammate, extended his hand over a wall of jersey’s and sent Ivisic falling on the outstretched camera lens of a baseline photographer and toward the hardwood floor of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Ballo was ejected from the game shortly after. 

The remainder of play resumed until the final whistle blew on Indiana’s unprecedented 94-69 loss to Illinois on Tuesday night. Ballo’s role in the altercation reflected Indiana’s pent-up frustration from a demoralizing defeat. 

“It really doesn't matter what we do if we're not going to do it hard, with effort and toughness,” Fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal said postgame. “That's what it comes down to.” 

Leal pinned the loss on effort — a claim statistics back up. 

The Hoosiers were outrebounded 51-37. They lost the turnover battle 11-6. Indiana was outscored 60-32 in the first half. Illinois controlled the scoreboard, stat sheet and even the Hoosier faithful as some exited Assembly Hall before halftime. 

Following the game, Goode pointed to struggles on the defense end. 

“I think it all comes down to defense,” Goode said. “If we score above 55, 65 points in a game, then we need to be able to win games like that. 

The Illinois transfer had good reason for calling out the Hoosiers’ defensive play. Indiana allowed 16 offensive rebounds that generated 19 second-chance points.  Its 94 points allowed are the most ever scored at Assembly Hall in regulation. Regardless, the Hoosiers’ offensive performance was stifled from subpar effort as well. 

Indiana missed its first 13 3-pointers against Illinois. Early in the first half, the Hoosiers missed nine straight attempts from the field that led to a 10-0 Illinois run. Ultimately, Indiana’s inefficiencies weren’t an anomaly, but rather a result of poor shot selection. 

Midway through the first half, sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle drove to the lane early in the shot clock and released a contested floater towards the rim. The ball barely reached it. Carlyle is shooting 27.6% from the field this season and ended an Indiana possession prematurely with a rushed attempt 10 seconds into the shot clock.  

“We just got to lock in, look in the mirror, and understand how embarrassing and unacceptable this is,” Leal said. “Understand that nobody gets where they want to go if the team doesn't win.” 

That embarrassment built up into the altercation that capped an already disappointing night with an ugly exclamation point. Ballo’s decision to get involved in the scuffle could have implications carrying over into Indiana’s next matchup. 

After receiving a flagrant two foul, the Big Ten could potentially suspend Ballo, putting him at risk of missing the Hoosiers’ next game at Ohio State. With junior forward Malik Reneau still out with a lower body injury, an already short-handed Indiana frontcourt may be severely limited against the Buckeyes. 

All because of a mental mistake from a player looked at as a veteran locker room presence. 

“I don't condone that by any means,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “In the heat of the battle I'm not right there in the situation where I can stop it. Sometimes things get out of hand, and they happen.” 

With or without Ballo, Indiana (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) will continue its gauntlet of opponents in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday night against Ohio State. The Hoosiers’ 11-game stretch against Quad 1 competition has started with two straight 25-point losses after falling to Iowa 85-60 on Jan. 11. 

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. 

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