Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Basketball Game Notes – Game 15 at Penn State
1/3/2025 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Opening Tip
• Indiana University continues Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men's basketball against Penn State at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Cathedral of College Basketball, the Palestra. The game will carry a BTN broadcast with Brandon Gaudin (pxp) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.
• The Nittany Lions enter the game with a record of 12-2 (2-1 Big Ten) under second-year head coach Mike Rhoades. Penn State has won 12-straight homes games and are off to the program's best start since the 2019-20 season. PSU has six players averaging at least 9.9 points per game, led by 15.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game from fifth-year senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr., the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per contest to go along with 13.1 points.
Game Information
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 • Noon ET
The Palestra (8,725) • Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana leads, 43-17
Last Meeting: IU 61, PSU 59 on March 14, 2024, in Minneapolis
Series History
• The Hoosiers have prevailed in 43-of-60 matchups played between the two programs, including a 61-59 result in the second round of the 2024 Big Ten Championships.
• Miami Heat first-round pick Kel'el Ware provided game highs in points (18), rebounds (14), and blocked shots (3) in the second-round win. Anthony Leal putback the game-winning basket with 5.0 seconds to play. He finished the game with eight points and four rebounds.
Last Time Out
• Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice paced the Hoosier attack with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in an 84-74 win over Rutgers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo returned from a brief, one-game absence to compile a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with three blocks in 32 minutes off the bench.
• The Hoosiers made 12-of-27 (44.4%) shots from behind the 3-points line. The 12-made triples marked a season high and the most for an IU offense in a conference regular season contest since connecting on 14 at Iowa on Feb. 17, 2018.
Big Fella Ballo
• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo is averaging 12.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per contest and is shooting 67.8% (61-of-90) from the floor. He is one of two players in college basketball (Johni Broome, Auburn) to average at least 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per night, and the only player to post those numbers on 60.0% shooting or better.
• The 7-footer ranks second among Big Ten players (Danny Wolf, Michigan) and 23rd nationally in boards per game. Ballo has strung together six games with double-digit boards, including a season-high 18 against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
• Ballo scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor against No. 3/4 Gonzaga on day two of the Battle 4 Atlantis. He is the first IU player to finish the game shooting at least 80% from the floor on 10-or-more made field goals since Kel'el Ware vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 2024 (91.7%, 11-12).
• He became the third IU player in the last 30 years (Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jared Jeffries) to record 10+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game after producing 14 points, 18 boards, and six assists against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
• The former Gonzaga Bulldog and Arizona Wildcat holds a career winning percentage of 84.1% in 145 career games.
Following the Gallo-Way
• Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway posted nine assists in 17 minutes off the bench in Indiana's 80-61 season-opening win over SIUE in Bloomington.
• In the last 25 seasons of major conference basketball, Gallo is the 10th player to have at least nine assists in 17 minutes or less. He is the first player to achieve the feat since Vanderbilt guard Carter Josephs on Feb. 22, 2014.
• The Culver Academies graduate has handed out at least five helpers in 26 career games, including five contests this season.
• Galloway has made 15-of-35 shots (42.9%) from behind the 3-point line this season. He has made at least three triples in four of Indiana's last eight games.
Going the Extra Myles
• Over his last four games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 15.8 points on 46.9% (23-of-49) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has scored 20-plus points in two of the four games.
• The Washington State transfer was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma on Sept. 12, 2022. After undergoing chemotherapy for five hours a session twice a month for six months, Rice learned his cancer was in remission on June 1, 2023.
Mack on the Attack
• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% (69-of-142) from the field, 41.4% (24-of-58) from behind the arc, and 85.3% (29-of-34) from the line.
• The Gladstone, N.J., native is one of six Big Ten players (Brice Williams, Nebraska; Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Braden Smith, Purdue) to average at least 12.5 points per game while shooting above 40.0% from the 3-point line and 85.0% from the free throw line this season.
Hatton Powers Victory Against Winthrop
• Senior center Langdon Hatton enjoyed his breakout moment of the season with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the Hoosier bench in a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the program's final non-conference tilt of the season.
• The Hoosier defense held the Eagles to 20 free throw attempts, 12 fewer than the program's average over the first 14 games of the season. Indiana also forced Winthrop into a cold shooting night from the floor (37.5%) and from the 3-point line (26.1%).
@IndianaMBB
For all the latest on Indiana University men's basketball, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaMBB on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Indiana University continues Big Ten Conference play in its 125th season of competition in men's basketball against Penn State at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Cathedral of College Basketball, the Palestra. The game will carry a BTN broadcast with Brandon Gaudin (pxp) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.
• The Nittany Lions enter the game with a record of 12-2 (2-1 Big Ten) under second-year head coach Mike Rhoades. Penn State has won 12-straight homes games and are off to the program's best start since the 2019-20 season. PSU has six players averaging at least 9.9 points per game, led by 15.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game from fifth-year senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr., the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per contest to go along with 13.1 points.
Game Information
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 • Noon ET
The Palestra (8,725) • Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana leads, 43-17
Last Meeting: IU 61, PSU 59 on March 14, 2024, in Minneapolis
Series History
• The Hoosiers have prevailed in 43-of-60 matchups played between the two programs, including a 61-59 result in the second round of the 2024 Big Ten Championships.
• Miami Heat first-round pick Kel'el Ware provided game highs in points (18), rebounds (14), and blocked shots (3) in the second-round win. Anthony Leal putback the game-winning basket with 5.0 seconds to play. He finished the game with eight points and four rebounds.
Last Time Out
• Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice paced the Hoosier attack with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in an 84-74 win over Rutgers on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo returned from a brief, one-game absence to compile a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double to go along with three blocks in 32 minutes off the bench.
• The Hoosiers made 12-of-27 (44.4%) shots from behind the 3-points line. The 12-made triples marked a season high and the most for an IU offense in a conference regular season contest since connecting on 14 at Iowa on Feb. 17, 2018.
Big Fella Ballo
• Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo is averaging 12.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per contest and is shooting 67.8% (61-of-90) from the floor. He is one of two players in college basketball (Johni Broome, Auburn) to average at least 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocked shots per night, and the only player to post those numbers on 60.0% shooting or better.
• The 7-footer ranks second among Big Ten players (Danny Wolf, Michigan) and 23rd nationally in boards per game. Ballo has strung together six games with double-digit boards, including a season-high 18 against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
• Ballo scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor against No. 3/4 Gonzaga on day two of the Battle 4 Atlantis. He is the first IU player to finish the game shooting at least 80% from the floor on 10-or-more made field goals since Kel'el Ware vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 27, 2024 (91.7%, 11-12).
• He became the third IU player in the last 30 years (Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jared Jeffries) to record 10+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game after producing 14 points, 18 boards, and six assists against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
• The former Gonzaga Bulldog and Arizona Wildcat holds a career winning percentage of 84.1% in 145 career games.
Following the Gallo-Way
• Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway posted nine assists in 17 minutes off the bench in Indiana's 80-61 season-opening win over SIUE in Bloomington.
• In the last 25 seasons of major conference basketball, Gallo is the 10th player to have at least nine assists in 17 minutes or less. He is the first player to achieve the feat since Vanderbilt guard Carter Josephs on Feb. 22, 2014.
• The Culver Academies graduate has handed out at least five helpers in 26 career games, including five contests this season.
• Galloway has made 15-of-35 shots (42.9%) from behind the 3-point line this season. He has made at least three triples in four of Indiana's last eight games.
Going the Extra Myles
• Over his last four games, redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice is averaging 15.8 points on 46.9% (23-of-49) shooting from the floor to pair with 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. He has scored 20-plus points in two of the four games.
• The Washington State transfer was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma on Sept. 12, 2022. After undergoing chemotherapy for five hours a session twice a month for six months, Rice learned his cancer was in remission on June 1, 2023.
Mack on the Attack
• Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% (69-of-142) from the field, 41.4% (24-of-58) from behind the arc, and 85.3% (29-of-34) from the line.
• The Gladstone, N.J., native is one of six Big Ten players (Brice Williams, Nebraska; Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Braden Smith, Purdue) to average at least 12.5 points per game while shooting above 40.0% from the 3-point line and 85.0% from the free throw line this season.
Hatton Powers Victory Against Winthrop
• Senior center Langdon Hatton enjoyed his breakout moment of the season with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the Hoosier bench in a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday, Dec. 29, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the program's final non-conference tilt of the season.
• The Hoosier defense held the Eagles to 20 free throw attempts, 12 fewer than the program's average over the first 14 games of the season. Indiana also forced Winthrop into a cold shooting night from the floor (37.5%) and from the 3-point line (26.1%).
@IndianaMBB
For all the latest on Indiana University men's basketball, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaMBB on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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