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WATCH: Indiana's Kel'el Ware Shows Full Repertoire in First Half At Rutgers

Indiana center Kel'el Ware slammed home an alley-oop dunk, then swatted a Rutgers layup attempt out of bounds, making for an impressive sequence on back-to-back possessions. Watch the full highlight here.

Some believe Indiana sophomore center Kel'el Ware could be a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he showed why in the first half at Rutgers.

On back-to-back possessions midway through the first half, Ware's versatile skill set became difficult for Rutgers to contain. First, he caught an alley-oop from Malik Reneau. And on the defensive end, he swatted Derek Simpson's layup attempt all the way to Indiana's bench.

The 7-footer scored a game-high eight points in the first half on 4-for-5 shooting, along with seven rebounds and one block. 

Despite Ware's strong start, Indiana trails Rutgers 30-27 at halftime after an improbable banked-in three from Simpson at the buzzer. The Hoosiers have committed 11 turnovers, and Xavier Johnson is 0-for-3 from the field.

Next up, Indiana returns home to Assembly Hall for a matchup against Minnesota on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Coached by Ben Johnson in his third season, the Golden Gophers enter this game with a 12-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play.

  • LIVE BLOG: Welcome to our live blog as Indiana takes on Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J. We'll keep you updated in real time live from the arena, with news and views, plus a dash of highlights and opinion tossed in. CLICK HERE
  • RUTGERS BREAKDOWN: A trademark of Rutgers teams under coach Steve Pikiell, the Scarlet Knights' defense won't make anything easy for Indiana on Tuesday. But to claim its first conference win, Rutgers must improve offensively. Here's a breakdown of the Scarlet Knights. CLICK HERE
  • IU'S IMPROVED 3-POINT SHOOTING: Indiana is shooting 40.7% from 3-point range across the last seven games, a major improvement from the beginning of the season. Next up is a road game against a strong Rutgers defense, which will challenge Indiana's recent shooting improvement. CLICK HERE
  • POINT SPREAD: Indiana is off to an impressive 3-1 start in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers have another good opportunity for a road win at Rutgers on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights are favored, but not by much. Here's the latest line, plus a great history of both teams against the spread. CLICK HERE
  • HOW TO WATCH: Indiana continues the 2023-24 season on Tuesday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, predicted score, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE