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Five takeaways from Indiana's win against Miami (OH)

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Five takeaways from Indiana's win against Miami (OH)


Indiana improved to 7-2 with a 76-57 win against Miami (OH) on Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

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Here are five takeaways from the win against the RedHawks:

Oumar Ballo was dominant

Indiana continues to try to figure out rotations around its two frontcourt scorers, Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. Are the Hoosiers better off going with just one big? Or should they continue to play Ballo and Reneau together?

On Friday, against an opponent with inferior size in the post, Mike Woodson opted to play Ballo and Reneau together frequently. The result was Ballo’s best statistical performance of the season to date.

The Arizona transfer finished with 14 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots, a steal and two turnovers in 28 minutes.

Indiana was +29 with Ballo on the floor.

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Through nine games, Ballo is shooting 67.7 percent from the floor. His free-throw shooting has improved slightly from last season. He’s taken a team-high 48 attempts and is 54.2 percent from the stripe.

Turnovers continue to plague Indiana

Another game, another night of unnecessary turnovers committed by Woodson’s fourth Indiana team.

The Hoosiers turned it over 16 times in Friday night’s win for a turnover percentage of 23.9. Indiana finished the game with just 15 assists.

Indiana ranks 281st nationally in turnover percentage at 19.6, the second-worst among Big Ten programs (Michigan).

Nine different Hoosiers committed a turnover in the win. Many of the mistakes – which has been a theme through nine games – result from careless passes or players trying to force plays that don’t need to be made. Examples on Friday included two late first-half turnovers by Myles Rice and an instance in the first half where Ballo attempted to dribble the ball up the floor and lost possession.

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Indiana overcame its mistakes on Friday because it was playing an inferior opponent. However, that won’t be the case when Big Ten play begins.

Trey Galloway needs to be a permanent fixture in the starting lineup

With Kanaan Carlyle sidelined for the last three games, Trey Galloway has started three consecutive games.

Given Carlyle’s limited production in six games and the playmaking that Galloway brings to the Hoosiers, his inclusion in the starting lineup should be permanent.

Friday marked a stellar performance for Galloway, who finished with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field. He was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Galloway is now 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) on 3s after shooting just 26 percent last season.

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“I’m making shots right now, so it’s good,” Galloway said postgame. “Just the same work I’ve been doing, just continuing to be consistent with it. But I think just trusting it and having confidence.”

It’s essential to get Carlyle back healthy and contributing in the backcourt. Right now, Galloway has earned the starting position, and the Hoosiers are a better team with him on the floor.

Indiana is not playing with urgency

There are moments within Indiana games this season where the Hoosiers have exhibited signs of urgency.

But those moments are short-lived.

Rather than showing an appetite to step on an opponent’s throat when it builds a double-digit lead, Indiana relaxes and allows its opponent back into the game.

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It happened multiple times on Friday. The Hoosiers built three leads of 10 or more points in the first half against the RedHawks. Each time, Miami answered quickly and Indiana led by just three points by halftime.

“These are growing pains, man,” Woodson said postgame. “When you get a team down, you just got to keep stepping and building. We just didn’t do that early on.”

Indiana will have to play with more urgency with the start of Big Ten play in just two days. The Hoosiers host Minnesota on Monday before traveling to Nebraska on Friday.

Improved free throw shooting continues to pay dividends

Indiana’s transformation from one of the nation’s worst free throw shooting teams to one of the best continues to pay dividends.

On Friday against Miami, the Hoosiers went to the line 19 times and converted 14 of those chances, for a percentage of 73.7 percent. And that was a worse–than–usual performance for these Hoosiers.

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Indiana is shooting 77.3 percent from the stripe through nine games, which ranks 36th nationally.

The most notable improvement on the roster from the line has been Malik Reneau. The junior shot 71.4 percent from the line as a freshman and just 68.3 percent last season. This season, Reneau is 30-for-34 (88.2 percent) from the stripe.

It also helps that IU has Myles Rice (94.7 percent), Luke Goode (93.8 percent), Mackenzie Mgbako (92 percent), Trey Galloway (83.3 percent) and Bryson Tucker (76.9) all shooting well from the line.

With Big Ten play on the horizon and opponents looking to slow it down and force IU to play in the halfcourt, getting to the line and converting will be key.

Filed to: Miami Ohio Redhawks, Oumar Ballo, Trey Galloway

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Indiana

Retro Indy: Five years ago Covid confined March Madness to Indiana

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Retro Indy: Five years ago Covid confined March Madness to Indiana


Just three days before Selection Sunday in March of 2020, the NCAA announced that March Madness, like so many other events that spring, would be cancelled due to the new virus upending life. The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.

When the following year rolled around, the NCAA decided that March Madness would not succumb to the virus once more.

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With a vaccine only on the horizon and hundreds of Americans still dying each day, the organization announced in November of 2020 that while the tournament would go on, it would certainly not be business as usual. All 67 games, NCAA officials said, would be held in one location. Central Indiana was the first choice as Indianapolis had been on tap to host the Final Four April 3-5.

The plan, said NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt in a November 2020 IndyStar article was to present “a safe, responsible and fantastic March Madness tournament unlike any other we’ve experienced.”

In January the NCAA made it official: All games would be played in and around Indianapolis in a modified version of a bubble.

Holding the tournament in one place just made sense, NCAA officials told IndyStar. Unlike in a typical year when a winning team would travel multiple times before the championship, this system would minimize travel, which could inadvertently expose players and coaches to the virus.

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Two months later when the tournament kicked off on March 18, 55 of the 67 games were scheduled to be played in Indianapolis venues, such as Gainbridge (then Bankers Life) Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana Farmers Coliseum and Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. Purdue’s Mackey Arena and IU’s Assembly Hall also hosted games.

While the first Covid vaccine had arrived a few months earlier, few people outside of first responders and the most vulnerable had been immunized, so in an effort to avoid large crowds, the Indianapolis sites all capped tickets at 25% capacity. That meant only 17,500 people could attend games at the largest venue, Lucas Oil Stadium. The college arenas allowed far smaller audiences, with IU limiting attendance to 500 people.

A week before the tournament began Marion County Public Health Department officials and Mayor Joe Hogsett asked attendees to make smart public health choices, such as social distancing and obeying the face masks mandate. Referees donned masks as much as possible as did coaches and players on the bench.

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The NCAA regularly tested athletes, administering 28,311 tests Covid tests during the tournament, 15 of which came back positive.

Post-mortems after the tournament asked whether the NCAA had made the right call. Two high profile deaths occurred in the aftermath of the tournament — one a University of Alabama superfan who had traveled to Indy for the games and the other a St. Elmo bartender. But proving a direct link between their deaths and the tournament would prove impossible, and some public health experts said the NCAA had done everything it could to protect athletes and fans short of canceling the event.

A study conducted by IU, Regenstrief researchers and others that appeared in August 2021 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that while mask wearing had theoretically been compulsory, about a quarter of attendees at the games were either not wearing masks or doing so inappropriately. Still, in an IndyStar article about the study Indiana Sports Corps president Ryan Vaughn termed the event “a resounding success.”

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The following year, with a vaccine widely available and far fewer daily deaths from the virus, the tournament returned to a typical schedule, concluding in New Orleans’ Ceasars Superdome. More than 69,00 fans attended the final games, according to the NCAA. Local authorities had lifted the mask requirement by this point.

“Last year was about survival. Just having championships in any way, single site, keep everybody safe and be successful,” Gavitt said in an NCAA news release in late April 2022. “I think this year was about advancing.”



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Federal legislation that Braun calls ‘crazy’ is aimed at Bears and Indiana – Indianapolis Business Journal

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Federal legislation that Braun calls ‘crazy’ is aimed at Bears and Indiana – Indianapolis Business Journal


U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Greg Casar, D-Texas, say the bill would protect taxpayers from being extorted by team owners for huge subsidies. The legislation would likely face an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled Congress.



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Record warmth followed by strong storms tonight | March 26, 2026

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Record warmth followed by strong storms tonight | March 26, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH-TV) – Strong thunderstorms likely later this evening with all severe weather threats possible. It is going to be warm and windy with record highs today. Much cooler air works into Indiana for the end of the week.

TODAY: Partly cloudy conditions later this afternoon with warm and breezy conditions. It is going to be a beautiful and summer-like day across parts of Indiana. We will look for high temperatures to climb into the lower eighties which will set a new daily high record. The record for today is 80 set back in 1907. Winds will be gusty out of the southwest near 20 to 30 mph.

TONIGHT: A cold front approaches the state bringing a really good chance of strong to severe thunderstorms. A few thunderstorms may develop out ahead of the main line and some of those thunderstorms could contain some large hail along with a tornado risk as well. We are under a level 3 risk of strong storms out of a level 5. So there is confidence that a lot of these storms could reach severe criteria. Threats would be damaging winds and large hail. The tornado risk is low across parts of Indianapolis but it is not zero. A slightly higher risk of tornadic activity is possible in northern sections of Indiana. 

Heavy rainfall could also lead to some flooding in parts of the state. Areas may see anywhere between 1 to 3 inches of rainfall. 

Best timing on the thunderstorm activity will be anytime after 8:00 p.m. and lasting until Friday morning around 4.

TOMORROW: A few early morning rain showers will be possible on Friday. The main weather story is that it will be much cooler. High temperatures will climb around 49 which is below our normal high of 56. Winds switch direction out of the northeast and it will be a bit breezy at times as well. Low temperatures late Friday night into Saturday morning will drop into the upper twenties.

7 DAY EXTENDED FORECAST: A chilly start early Saturday morning but we will see lots of sunshine for the afternoon. High temperatures will climb around 52 for the afternoon. 

Cloud cover returns on Sunday but it will be dry for the most part. Look for high temperatures to climb into the lower 60s. 

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Warmer next week with temperatures reaching the low and even middle and upper 70s by the middle part of the week. A dry start on Monday with some scattered showers possible on Tuesday and Wednesday. 



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