Indiana Basketball pulled ahead at the end of the second half to beat Miami (OH), 76-57.
The Hoosiers defeat Miami of Ohio 76-57 on Friday night in Assembly Hall. What started out as a close match, and remained so for most of the game, eventually became a statement win for Indiana basketball. Here are three takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Oumar Ballo proved to be a vital part of this team
Senior center Oumar Ballo had an incredible performance on Friday night, earning his first double-double with Indiana by posting 14 points and 18 rebounds along with 6 assists. Ballo was hot from the beginning and was a huge factor in the Hoosiers’ strong start. In just the first half he had 8 of his 15 total defensive rebounds and more leadership could be seen throughout the game from the Arizona transfer. Head coach Mike Woodson was very pleased with Ballo’s performance and was optimistic about him going forward into conference play as his size will be an important factor.
“They’ve seen Ballo over the years and you know the Big Ten is big. You know everybody’s got big guys. You know four and fives are huge in the Big Ten so it won’t be a surprise when we play Big Ten schools that have the four or the fives that match well with Ballo and Malik (Reneau),” said Woodson.
Ballo was also happy with his performance from the night and in a press conference after the game explained how Woodson has put his trust in the center.
“You know coach had a lot of trust in me to make the right play and that’s why the ball is in my hand a lot…and fortunate for us tonight the shots were falling and I’m happy with the result,” said Ballo.
Takeaway #2: Defensive identity is still in the works
There is no doubt that a lot of things about this team have changed and improved since the first time they stepped out on the court this season. However, time and time again the defense remains a struggle. At the beginning of the first half on Friday, IU’s defense seemed to be focused on one RedHawk in particular, Pete Suder, and rightfully so. On Monday night, Suder scored 42 points in Miami’s win over Air Force and only 9 of these points were from behind the 3-point line. While Indiana managed to hold Suder to 9 points, they left many open drives for Miami which ended up being an issue. Towards the end of the second half, Miami went on a 7-0 run, ending the half only down by 3. However, the Hoosiers cleaned up their defense and managed to hold the RedHawks to 21 points in the second half. In a press conference after the game, senior Trey Galloway seemed to know their issues on the defensive end
“It’s just continuing to get better. It is early but we’ve got to learn quick and we can’t have those breakdowns. I mean there were a lot tonight and I think it’s just our attention to detail and really just focusing and sticking to the game plan. There were a lot of missed things that we have that we shouldn’t have and if we clean those up then it takes away a lot of those buckets that they got,” said Galloway.
Takeaway #3: IU’s offense is starting to look more promising
Looking at the box score, it is evident that Indiana’s 76 points was an all-around team effort with four players scoring in the double digits. The Hoosiers were led in scoring by Malik Reneau, who had 19 points, but Myles Rice followed close behind with 17 points. Oumar Ballo was also a huge contributor ending with 14 points and Trey Galloway ending with 13. Coming off the bench, Luke Goode provided 9 points.
Even with key players like Mackenzie Mgbako, Bryson Tucker, and Anthony Leal not having their best game Friday night, Indiana managed to pull away with a 19-point win. The Hoosiers are looking like they are beginning to hit their stride and playing more connected, just in time for conference play starting on Monday for Indiana. Fans should expect to continue to see growth from this team and an exciting rest of the season.
Next up for Indiana (7-2): vs. Minnesota (6-4, 0-1) – Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. EST
Next up for Miami-OH (5-3): vs. Bethany WV – Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. EST
[…] Indiana is coming off of their win against Miami of Ohio and while it was a 19-point win, the RedHawks kept it close until about the last 5 minutes of the game. Sloppy defense in the first half was a huge contributor to Indiana’s slow start and a defensive identity appears to be something the team is still trying to find. However, the Hoosiers came into the second half with more intensity and held Miami to 21 points. […]