LIVE BLOG: Indiana Basketball Tries To End Two-Game Skid At Ohio State

The last two games were rough for Indiana, but the Hoosiers are hoping for a bounce back effort against the Buckeyes.

Todd Golden | Jan 17, 2025

Indiana men's basketball players workout at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio prior to the Indiana-Ohio State game on Jan. 17, 2025. / Todd Golden | Hoosiers On SI

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Welcome to Value City Arena! Hard on the banks of the Olentangy River here in the state capitol of Ohio.

Indiana has had a rough couple of games. Two 25-point losses in a row at Iowa and then at home against Illinois have made Indiana fans restless. A road game might not seem like it should be the time for a turnaround, but Ohio State is struggling too and you never know which Buckeyes are going to show up. Sound familiar?

The vast Value City Arena is not the most difficult place to play in the Big Ten when Ohio State fans aren't engaged. The Buckeye faithful are distracted at the moment by Ohio State's advancement to the College Football Playoff championship game on Monday against Notre Dame. Be interesting to see what kind of turnout the Buckeyes get for this one.

• Injury update: By now, you may know that Malik Reneau and Bryson Tucker are out for the Hoosiers. Jack Ankony wrote about it in the pregame injury story.

The Buckeyes will be without Devin Royal, one of their leading scorers at 13.8 points per game. Meechie Johnson is out too, but that was not a surprise as he's been out for quite a while.

• Fans understandably really only care about how their own house is in order, sometimes believing the rain clouds are only above them. But of course, it doesn't work like that.

Ohio State has lost three of four. The one win they got was a very, very fortunate 89-88 double overtime win at Minnesota in which the Golden Gophers lost their heads and fouled up two in the final seconds of the first overtime.

So the Buckeyes (10-7) are reeling too, but there's one big difference. None of their three losses were by more than seven points. Not so for the Hoosiers.

Anthony Leal and his Indiana teammates get used to the Value City Arena shooting background before Indiana's game against Ohio State on Jan. 17, 2025. / Todd Golden | Hoosiers On SI

• With no Malik Reneau, it will be interesting to see what, if any, adjustments are made. The Hoosiers need to do a much better job of putting Myles Rice in a better position to take advantage of his talent. It seems like he's sometimes left to his own devices at times. He can freelance, but he shouldn't have to.

A bounce back from Trey Galloway at a place where he demonstrated heroics a year ago would be a big lift. Obviously Mackenzie Mgbako, who hasn't shot better than 33.3% in the last three games, is overdue to play better.

• Right now, fans are taking issue with just about everything under the sun involving Indiana men's basketball. Many took issue with Luke Goode's postgame comments on Tuesday about fan loyalty.

I understand why people would be upset. Heard a certain way, Goode's comments can come off as out of touch with the vibe.

I also don't know what people would want him to say. The question he was asked was what message he would have for fans who lashed out at Tuesday's game. What's he supposed to say? Boo us more? We give up? We cry uncle?

Sometimes? A bit of the ability to put yourselves in someone else's shoes is the way to go. If you were Goode, what would you say?

• If it means anything (narrator: it doesn't), I've never covered an Indiana loss against Ohio State in men's basketball. I have one of the strangest careers as an Indiana beat writer. I've never seen the Hoosiers lose to either Ohio State or Michigan, but I've never seen them beat Northwestern. What kind of sense does that make?

• I'm just glad I made it over to Columbus this time. For the November football game, I hit a pothole on a bridge just west of Richmond (pushed out of the lane I was in by a drifting semi-truck) and had to turn around and limp home with a giant bulge in my tire. No such worries on today's drive ... at least I knew where that killer pothole was!

• First Ohio State basketball player you can think of who DIDN'T play in the NBA or ABA ... go! Mine is Jay Burson.

• Starters: Indiana - Oumar Ballo, Myles Rice, Anthony Leal, Mackenzie Mgbako and Luke Goode. Trey Galloway will come off the bench. No extra discipline for Rice or Ballo for the late-game incident against Illinois.

Mackenzie Mgbako remains a liability on the defensive end. Evan Mahafgeu

Ohio State - John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton, Micah Parrish, Evan Mahaffey and Sean Stewart.

• Just like last year's Indiana visit to Columbus, there are plenty of sections available at Value City Arena.

• It's a white out at Value City Arena. Ohio State wearing early 80s era throwbacks. Think the Clark Kellogg, Herb Williams period. Sweet look. Picture in top left panel.

Tip off 8 PM in the Schott ‼️#Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/DqsvPEJIc9
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 17, 2025

• Players have been introduced. Pregame ceremonies are over. Let's go.

• Ohio State 7-6, 15:33 1H. Good news ... Oumar Ballo has all six of Indiana's points, including two second-chance buckets. Against the smaller Buckeyes, he can get away with posting up.

Bad news ... Indiana have allowed the poor-rebounding Buckeyes a pair of second-chance opportunities. The Hoosiers are also 0-for-2 from 3-point range. (But so is Ohio State.)

• 10-10, 13:24 1H. Look for a big night from Ohio State's Micah Parrish. Mackenzie Mgbako has allowed him to dribble to the rim relatively unimpeded twice. Parrish just a foul on the last one and converted a game-tying three-point play.

• Ohio State 13-11, 11:40 1H. This game being played at a sleep-inducing pace. Not necessarily a bad thing for the Hoosiers as they've avoided big mistakes on the offensive end. Not so much on the defensive end. Trey Galloway just fouled Ques Glover on a corner three, so the Buckeyes will be due three free throws when the game resumes.

• 20-20, 7:21 1H. Neither team able to take control. Ohio State getting some wide open looks that are concerning, but the Buckeyes are 1 of 6 from 3-point range, so they haven't taken advantage of their chances. Not that Indiana is shooting any better as the Hoosiers are 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

Mgbako remains a big liability on the defensive end. Evan Mahaffey was the latest to drive right past him for an easy bucket.

• Ohio State 24-22, 5:55 1H. Trey Galloway comes out of the game after he and Bruce Thornton collided on an Ohio State break. I'm done ascertaining injuries after Malik Reneau didn't look badly hurt against Rutgers, but hasn't played since.

Both of these teams look so unsure of themselves. In that sense, it might be wise that Indiana has slowed down the pace.

• Ohio State 27-22, 5:05 1H. A Mackenzie Mgbako turnover leads to a Bruce Thornton 3-pointer on the other end. Mgbako is 0-for-2 from the field with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and a lot of points given up on the defensive end. Hate to pick at him, but Indiana deserves a lot more from such a highly thought-of player who has demonstrated his value at times, but who is in a big funk at the moment.

• Ohio State 32-26, 3:12 1H. Hoosiers traded twos for Buckeyes threes for a couple of possessions and have been playing catchup since.

Just not a lot of players who can depended on, outside of Oumar Ballo, to provide scoring. Outside of Ballo, Indiana has made 5 of 21 and only Luke Goode has made more than one bucket outside of Ballo.

• Greg Oden is in the house. He's the second-most famous graduate of Lawrence North. Next to, well, not me, probably Mike Conley? He's joined by Lawrence Funderburke, a one-time Hoosier largely cast out after his transfer to Ohio State, and Jerry Lucas has graced us with his greatness too.

• Ohio State 33-26, 1:45 2H. Trey Galloway returns, a relief for Indiana as the Hoosiers don't need any more injuries.

• Ohio State 35-29, :06.5 2H. Given how much of a struggle it has been for Indiana on the offensive end - just four buckets in the final 10 minutes of the half - the Hoosiers are lucky to be down just six. Ohio State has made five of its last seven shots though.

• Halftime - Ohio State 35, Indiana 29. Well, it's not a blowout, but apart from Oumar Ballo (10 points), not a lot to get excited about from the Hoosiers on the offensive end. Buckeyes converted 46.2% from the field, so Indiana didn't lock down there either. If Indiana can idenify a second scoring option, it will be in business, but so far? No luck in that department.

• Ohio State 41-40, 16:17 2H. Nice hustle play by Trey Galloway to snag an inbounds pass and call a mid-air timeout to preserve the steal.

Some of Indiana's non-Ballo scoring threats are waking up a bit. Mackenzie Mgabko and Luke Goode both had buckets. However, Indiana is going to have to manage a heavy foul load in the backcourt. Anthony Leal, Myles Rice both have three fouls. Galloway has two. With a shortened rotation, Kanaan Carlyle will get a lot of time.

• Ohio State 41-40, 16:00 2H. While Indiana has backcourt foul trouble, Ohio State's bigger players are also amassing fouls. Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart and Micah Parrish each have two. Not fatal in the second half by any means, but Indiana is taking advantage of Ballo's size to draw those fouls.

• Indiana 50-48, 11:43 2H. The Hoosiers don't have the luxury of choosing how they go on a run, they just needed a run from any kind of well-spring. That it was a late shot clock fling by Luke Goode, another late-shot clock fade by Trey Galloway, and a botched shot by Oumar Ballo that fell anyway that got things going? Who cares?

After that, Goode made a conventional 3-pointer to keep it going. Bruce Thornton answered with a short conversion, but the Hoosiers with some much-needed positive energy.

• Cool moment at the arena as they showed highlights from Ohio State's 97-95 overtime victory over Indiana from 1991 at St. John Arena. Indiana's Calbert Cheaney and Ohio State's Jim Jackson both played in that game and Cheaney gave Jackson a thumbs up at his broadcast position for FOX. Both are my age, so that nostalgia runs stronger as the years tick by.

• Indiana 59-55, 7:27 2H. Crowd was starting to get into it after Ohio State took a one-point lead at the 9:09 mark, but the Hoosiers calmly answered with a 5-0 mini-run. Shot selection by the Buckeyes hasn't been optimal for them, and given that Indiana is a better rebounding team, both for the season and on the night (28-26 in Indiana's favor), that's a good development for the Hoosiers.

Luke Goode has 11 second-half points ... just what the doctor ordered for the Hoosiers after no one besides Ballo consistently scored in the first half.

• Indiana 66-58, 5:45 2H. Myles Rice with a big play. Stole a pass on the arc and initiated a break that led to a Kanaan Carlyle bucket. He missed his free throw, but Trey Galloway made a 3-pointer after the offensive rebound to give Indiana its biggest lead of the game.

• Indiana 70-63, 3:06 2H. Ohio State hanging around just enough to keep things tense, but Indiana has made four of its last five shots, the latest a push shot by Kanaan Carlyle on a feed from Trey Galloway. What a relief it is for Indiana that it's getting Good Galloway tonight. He has 6 assists to go with 7 points.

• Indiana 70-66, 2:46 2H. Uh-oh. Ohio State decides to press Indiana and with its height and athleticism? It spelled trouble for the Hoosiers. Galloway threw the ball away to Micah Parrish for an easy bucket. Myles Rice was then trapped in the corner and was forced to call a timeout.

• Indiana 70-66, 2:22 2H. Indiana really struggled to cross half-court after the timeout, but they did so, and then were able to get Oumar Ballo open under the rim. He missed a bunny, but Sean Stewart fouled out for Ohio State on the play.

• Indiana 71-68, :46.2 2H. Tense. Trey Galloway air-balled a late shot clock 3-pointer, Bruce Thornton missed a short jumper, but then Myles Rice was off-balance a tad on a jumper from the elbow. Ohio State ball with 25 seconds to play with on the shot clock.

Indiana has ridden Galloway, Ballo, Goode, and a combo of Leal, Rice and Carlyle for most of the second half.

• 71-71, :34.7 2H. John Mobley Jr. has hurt the Hoosiers all night and his top of the key 3-pointer hit every inch of the cylinder before it rattled in to tie the game. Mobley Jr. is 5 of 10 from 3-point range. There is an eight-second differential in the shot clock for Indiana.

• 71-71, end of regulation. Overtime. Indiana had three shots to take the lead. Goode missed a low-percentage attempt and Ballo missed two tip-in attempts. Indiana did do a good job on the defensive end. Bruce Thornton found Evan Mahaffey on the baseline, but Galloway stayed home and got a hand on his shot that fell short.

• No one on the Hoosiers or Buckeyes has four fouls entering overtime. Sean Stewart fouled out earlier for Ohio State. Indiana going with Myles Rice, Luke Goode, Trey Galloway, Oumar Ballo and Kanaan Carlyle to start overtime.

• 71-71, 3:52 OT. Shoe tie officials timeout. Neither team has connected in OT yet.

• Ohio State 73-71, 2:50 OT. Ohio State reserve big man Ivan Njegovan was left open under the rim for an easy conversion and then he hit blocked an Oumar Ballo shot on the other end. He also held on to the ball too long on an Ohio State shot clock violation, but the Buckeyes get needed help from an unexpected source.

• Indiana 77-76, :38.3 OT. Bruce Thornton had put Ohio State up two with a traditional three-point play at the 1:26 mark, but on something of a broken play, Luke Goode drains a 3-pointer to give Indiana the advantage. John Mobley missed from 3-point range, Kanaan Carlyle rebounded, and Indiana has the ball with a 15-second differential in the shot clock.

• Indiana 77-76, :14.2 OT. Indiana called a timeout to set a play, but it didn't come off as the Buckeyes force a shot clock violation after Kanaan Carlyle threw a no-chance heave at the death of the shot clock. Review on-going, presumably to set the clock.

This will come down to whether Indiana can get a stop.

• Luke Goode, Trey Galloway, Kanaan Carlyle, Anthony Leal and Oumar Ballo are the five on the floor for the Hoosiers.

• FINAL: Indiana 77, Ohio State 76, OT. Anthony Leal knocked the ball out of John Mobley's hands near the right elbow, but the loose ball fell to a wide-open Bruce Thornton. He fired off a jumper right before the buzzer sounded ... and it rattled out. Indiana gets a huge road win at Ohio State to improve to 5-3 in the Big Ten and 14-5 overall. Game of the season from an excitment standpoint.

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