WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Oumar Ballo walked toward Indiana men’s basketball’s huddle with three seconds left in Friday’s 81-76 loss to Purdue at Mackey Arena, Indiana operations analyst Nick Virden approached him.
The sixth-year center lightly pushed the coach away before fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway put his arms around Ballo, pulling him toward the huddle.
Once in the huddle, Ballo stood solemnly for nearly six seconds before turning to his right, stomping his right foot and yelling at Indiana redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, who missed a go-ahead shot the possession before. Ballo’s outburst lasted eight seconds. Rice appeared more intent on the huddle, only briefly glancing at Ballo.
Rice didn’t score in the game. Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after the game he wanted to call timeout, but Rice didn’t hear him and instead took matters into his own hands — much to Ballo’s dismay.
“Everybody's heated in the heat of the moment, and he didn't think it was a good play,” Woodson said after the game about Ballo’s reaction. “And he voiced his opinion on it, which is OK.”
Once Ballo finished his apparent one-sided exchange with Rice, fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal approached the 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo, and the two walked around the outskirts of Indiana’s huddle. Leal fouled out with just under two minutes remaining, and Ballo picked up his fifth foul after Rice’s miss.
Ballo extended his left hand and pointed toward the court, as if telling Leal where things went wrong. Leal put his arms around Ballo, speaking into his right ear. Ballo nodded his head and put his hands on his hips as Leal went back into the huddle.
Freshman forward Bryson Tucker’s right hand tapped Ballo’s chest and midsection several times. Sophomore guard Gabe Cupps approached Ballo and motioned his hand back and forth. Ballo listened to Cupps for six seconds before his head fell to the right, his neck sunk and he threw his arms out with his palms facing the ceiling inside Mackey Arena.
Indiana video and player development analyst Isaac Green put his right hand on Cupps’ left shoulder, guiding Cupps away from Ballo. Cupps hasn’t played since Nov. 29 and is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus.
Scenes in the huddle following Oumar Ballo's fifth foul. #iubb pic.twitter.com/13xpaiJsrs
— Joe Cronin (@Joe_cronin03) February 1, 2025
Indiana led 76-75 with less than 15 seconds remaining in the game before Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn made a turnaround right-handed jump hook with 11 seconds left.
After Rice’s miss and the ensuing huddle, the Hoosiers trailed 77-76. Purdue junior guard Fletcher Loyer made two free throws, but Indiana’s deficit was still only one possession. On the inbounds pass, Galloway overthrew junior forward Malik Reneau, who entered in Ballo’s place, and Kaufman-Renn intercepted the pass before knocking down two more free throws.
Ballo finished with 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. He pulled down eight rebounds and dished two assists but also had three turnovers and went just 2 of 6 at the free throw line.
Once the final buzzer sounded, Ballo embraced Kaufman-Renn but then walked straight toward Indiana’s locker room, avoiding the post-game handshake line.
Galloway mentioned losses like Friday night’s are always challenging — perhaps even more so when considering it was the Hoosiers’ second defeat after leading inside 15 seconds within the past five days alone.
“It's very frustrating, because we're right there,” Galloway said. “And we got to keep fighting. There's a lot of games left. But to know that we're right there and that close to being able to find ways to win those close games like this is definitely frustrating for all of us, because we want to win in the worst way possible.”
Woodson didn’t foreshadow any punishment for Ballo in the days leading into the Hoosiers’ (14-8, 5-6 Big Ten) next game, a 9 p.m. tipoff Tuesday against No. 17 Wisconsin (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten) inside the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
“You just hope that you can learn from it and build on it and move on.”
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.
