‘We Needed Him Back in the Worst Way’: Kel’el Ware Dominates Iowa in Return From Injury

Kel’el Ware was criticized for not playing hard enough in his freshman season at Oregon, but he played with real grit during Indiana’s 74-68 win over Iowa, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds and holding Iowa's leading scorer, forward Ben Krikke, to just two points.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No one could doubt Kel’el Ware’s effort, toughness and motor Tuesday night against Iowa.

In his first game back from an ankle injury, he led Indiana with 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Ware came up hobbled after a few plays, but he fought through the pain and powered the Hoosiers to a 74-68 win, one they absolutely had to have.

“It really took a toll on him, mentally, emotionally,” Indiana senior guard Anthony Leal said of Ware’s injury. “Obviously, physically, he was out, but he loves us as teammates and he wants to win more than anything. So it was good to see him show some emotion and fight through some nicks and bruises and what not. But especially with Malik [Reneau] going down, he stepped up big time for us.”

Every facet of Ware’s versatile game shined against the Hawkeyes, from the way he limited Iowa’s leading scorer, forward Ben Krikke, to just two points on 1-for-9 shooting to electrifying dunks that had opponents questioning why they’d even try to jump with Indiana’s 7-footer.

“We needed him back in the worst way,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “Games like this, man, it's huge for our ball club. He gets 23 [points] and 10 [rebounds] and three blocks. We were missing his length and ability to block shots. We just didn't have it. It was nice having him back. He was huge tonight for our ball club. And we hadn't beaten this team since I've been here. Fran [McCaffery] has kind of had his way with this ball club.”

Indiana's Kel'el Ware (1) dunks over Iowa's Owen Freeman (32) as he is fouled during the second half of the Indiana versus Iowa men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.

Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Those skills – the shot blocking, rebounding, dunking and even 3-point shooting – are all reasons why Ware has been heralded as a future pro since his high school days. None of that was new or surprising to see on Tuesday. But Ware’s energy, physicality and impact on winning have not always been there. That’s why Ware is still in college, not the NBA, and those are the areas of his game that scouts, media, fans and even his former coaches picked apart last season at Oregon.

Performances like Tuesday’s against Iowa display Ware tapping into his sky high potential and changing that narrative. It’s also why it appears he won’t need to don the cream and crimson for long before fulfilling those professional prophecies.

That development started with some tough love.

“A lot of Coach Woodson screaming from the very beginning when I got him,” Woodson said Tuesday. “I don't mean that in a bad way. I just tried to push him, along with our coaching staff. Because the first two or three weeks with him was a nightmare in terms of his energy and his get-up-and-go. And we've kind of coached him into playing better, playing with a little more energy.”

Usually calm on the court, and humble and soft spoken in interviews, Ware came out of his shell more than ever on Tuesday.

After a missed 3-pointer from Mackenzie Mgbako with Indiana clinging to a two-point lead with about 30 seconds left, Iowa guard Josh Dix dove for the rebound. But as he fell out of bounds, he passed the ball off Owen Freeman’s foot, and it bounced right to Indiana’s Trey Galloway. A bit of luck freed up Ware for a slam dunk, giving Indiana a four-point lead.

McCaffery called a timeout, and Ware let his emotions out, screaming at the top of his lungs like the rest of the raucous Assembly Hall crowd. Woodson said he hadn’t noticed that kind of reaction from Ware all season, but it was nice to see.

Ware did all of this while apparently playing through an injury. After posterizing Freeman with a thunderous dunk with 7:40 left, Ware grimaced and favored his right leg, different from the left ankle injury that kept him out of the previous two games. He didn’t look quite as explosive down the stretch, but he battled through and commanded the paint all game.

This isn’t the first game Ware has led Indiana to a win. After all, he’s averaging 14.7 points and 9.4 rebounds with eight-double doubles this season. But losses to UConn, Auburn and Purdue showed Ware a step behind some of college basketball’s best bigs like Donovan Clingan, Johni Broome and Zach Edey.

Freshman guard Gabe Cupps, who stepped up when Xavier Johnson got hurt and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:26 left, loved to see Ware’s effort on Tuesday. And if Indiana is going to turn its season around, it needs this version of Ware night in and night out.

“That's the thing we need from him,” Cupps said. “He's obviously super talented, super skilled. And a lot of people's knock on him is that he's not tough. And I think he shows it in spurts, but once he can be consistent in that – and he showed that tonight – he's an unstoppable player.”

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