Indiana basketball defeated USC in Assembly Hall, 82-69.
It was another exciting night of Indiana basketball on Wednesday, with another Big Ten match-up in Assembly Hall and USC traveling from California to take on the Hoosiers. The game was tied at halftime with a score of 38-38, but Indiana pulled away at the end to win by 13 points. Read more for three takeaways:
Takeaway #1: And the crowd roars for Ballo… again
Center Oumar Ballo exited the game with a whopping 23 points against USC, leading the Hoosiers to victory. This is his third game straight to put up at least 23 points. Another noteworthy fact is that this is his third game back from not starting against Winthrop on Dec. 29. He has undoubtedly shown his opponents what he is made of with his recent performances. With his scoring dominance, Ballo grabbed eight rebounds and had one assist. Head coach Mike Woodson acknowledges that he is a big part of the team,
“He’s a big piece to the puzzle. That’s why we brought him here. He has to continue to play well,” said Woodson.
There is clearly a lot expected from the Arizona transfer. As he continues to deliver, Indiana basketball continues their win streak in Big Ten play.
Takeaway #2: Superb scoring start in the second
Indiana basketball headed to the locker room, completely outscoring the Trojans. They had a 26-17 finish to the 1st. This brought lots of energy to the Hoosiers. They confidently showed up to the 2nd with a 27-14 run. Not only was their scoring a beneficiary in the game but also, the players exited with 11+ points (Bryson Tucker was just coming up short as he was one FG away). Ballo led the team with 23 points, and coming in hot for the Hoosiers were Myles Rice with 19, Luke Goode with 16, and Trey Galloway with 11. It is also clear that Goode is solid with his shots outside the arc. He shot 3-3 with his three-pointers.
There have certainly been some games this season in which the scoring was not evenly distributed for Indiana basketball. While this hasn’t been devastating for the Hoosiers, it is good to see the points stats rising for multiple players, not just a select couple.
Takeaway #3: Yates remains key for USC
Wesley Yates III led USC in scoring against Indiana, finishing with 18 points. This was Yates’ sixth start in a row, but more impressively, he shot 100% from the free throw line, shooting 6-for-6. Obviously, at times, these free throw shots can be the deciding factor in certain games, but not this one. That’s not to say that these extra points kept the final score closer than it could’ve been.
Yates is a 6’4 freshman redshirt guard in his first season with USC. He transferred from Washington after his freshman season; however, he was injured and did not play in any games for the Huskies. He is a good shooter, but his strong suit is driving the ball and finishing at the basket. He is currently averaging 9.7 points a game this season, so the number he posted against Indiana was huge for him. USC fans can expect to see more success and exciting performances from Yates looking into the rest of the season.
Up next for Indiana (13-3, 4-1): at Iowa (11-4, 2-2) – Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. EST
Up next for USC (9-6, 1-3): at Illinois (12-3, 4-1) – Jan. 11 at Noon EST