Indiana
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
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KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
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