Indiana
Todd’s Take: Returning Hoosiers Make The Best First Impression For Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. On Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the new players on Indiana’s roster had an uneven start in the Hoosiers’ season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardville.
Indiana won 80-61 over the pesky Cougars, but it was a difficult road at times and the new Hoosiers were part of the reason why.
Myles Rice? He got better as the game went along, with seven of his 11 points scored in the second half, but the sophomore had 5 turnovers and sometimes forced the issue on his dribble-drives.
Oumar Ballo? He had an impressive final stat line: 15 points, six rebounds and he was 6 of 10 from the field, but it’s a bit misleading. He scored four of his six buckets in the final 7:22 of the game. By then, Indiana had finally put itself out of SIU-E’s range. Ballo also had four turnovers and he played a part in SIU-Edwardsville’s 16 offensive rebounds.
Kanaan Carlyle? He had a good floor game (6 rebounds, 3 assists), but not a good day on the scoresheet. He was 0 for 4 from the field.
Luke Goode? The designated sharpshooter for the Hoosiers was 0-for-3, including two misses from long range.
Bryson Tucker? He’s a freshman playing his first college game that counts and he looked it on both ends of the floor. No sin in that. Most freshman start the way.
It was all a bit underwhelming from Indiana’s new Hoosiers. Even coach Mike Woodson, without specifically singling out the new players, said the offensive display wasn’t what he expected.
“I do know we can score the basketball. Certain guys haven’t really made shots like I thought they would. They’ll start falling eventually,” said Woodson on the Hoosiers’ offensive identity.
Indiana’s infusion of talent was supposed to carry the Hoosiers to Big Ten dominance. One game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville isn’t going to determine one way or another whether that will happen or not, but it wasn’t the flashy start for the Indiana newbies that many hoped it would be.
Overreactions are rampant after the first game of the season, but all fans have after one game is a first impression, so if concerns crop up, they’re magnified.
In the end, the newbies’ struggles didn’t matter. That’s because the players that Indiana fans have already familiarized themselves with carried the day.
No one was better than sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako. The man many thought would be a one-and-done for the Hoosiers is back and Indiana is very grateful that he returned.
He scored a career-high 31 points, including 19 in the first half when Indiana struggled to keep SIU-E at bay. He was 8 of 10 from the field before halftime and added five rebounds.
It was a bravado performance – the kind that impatient Hoosiers fans wanted early in the 2023-24 season, but had to wait until the last third of the 2024 season to witness from the New Jersey native.
Junior Malik Reneau also demonstrated that he’s ready to continue his progression. Reneau finished with 15 points, 11 of which were scored in the first half. Between Mgbako and Reneau? The pair provided 71.4% of Indiana’s first-half scoring output.
Reneau didn’t do anything we haven’t seen before. He backed down one or two defenders and used his strength to create scoring chances. He got to the line (all 6 attempts in the first half) and avoided foul trouble until the very end of the game.
Another positive first impression was made by Trey Galloway. Once again, Galloway – who has had almost every conceivable role during his Indiana career – was an energy source off the bench. He spelled Rice and Galloway almost immediately unlocked an Indiana offense that seemed to be stuck in neutral at the time.
His halftime statistics were modest, but Galloway developed a symbiotic bond with Ballo in the second half. Galloway fed Ballo for four easy buckets at the rim. They were part of a 9-assist attack from the Indiana veteran.
Wednesday’s game wasn’t a great first impression for Indiana’s new Hoosiers, but while everyone wants to see how the new shiny toys are going to work, it shouldn’t be forgotten that part of the strength of this team lies in Indiana’s returning veterans.
Not every first impression has to be made by someone new. Indiana’s veteran trio demonstrated that they can be counted on to take the Hoosiers where they want to be this season. It’s the best first impression that they could have given to Indiana fans.
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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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