As Expected, Indiana Too Big, Too Strong in Exhibition Rout of Marian

Indiana's front line was nearly perfect, with Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo and Langdon Hatton shooting a combined 19-for-20 in the Hoosiers' 106-64 exhibition victory over Marian on Friday night at Assembly Hall.

Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) shoots. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No one expected Marian to give No. 17 Indiana much trouble in their exhibition basketball game Friday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly. And they didn't.

Indiana had a huge edge in size up front, and it showed for 40 minutes. Forward Malik Reneau and center Oumar Ballo were nearly unstoppable — and nearly perfect on the night — in the Hoosiers' 106-64 win.

Reneau had 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and Ballo was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field on his 16-point night. Even backup center Langdon Hatton was a perfect 4-for-4 and had 10 points. That's 19-for-20 shooting, which is even good against air.

"We're were good from two and we got a lot of good looks,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "Ballo is proven, what he did at Arizona. He's a double-double guy and he plugs the middle up. There's a reason why we went after him hard. He and Malik, they're good at buddy ball, like we like to call it. They both can pass the ball and they both can score down low. That's a nice combination.''

"We just need to get him in tip-top shape. He's heading in the right direction.''

Senior guard Trey Galloway saw his first action of the year after sitting out last Sunday's exhibition game at Tennessee, and had three points. He's coming back from offseason knee surgery, but got the start instead of Kanaan Carlyle, who watched the game in street clothes. He was out with bruised ribs. Senior guard Anthony Leal (knee) also didn't dress.

Freshman Bryson Tucker made his Indiana debut as well, and was impressive. He missed Sunday's game with a bruised thigh. He scored a team-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Indiana shot 65.7 percent from the field.

"Tuck is definitely advanced. He's crazy athletic and he's going to be a big piece for us this year,'' said redshirt freshman Jakai Newton, who saw his first action as a Hoosier after missing all of last season with a knee injury.

The Hoosiers led wired to wire. Five players were in double figures — Mackenzie Mgbako was the fifth, with 10, and three others had at least six, Gabe Cupps (8), Myles Rice (6) and Luke Goode (6.) Goode, who missed his first 10 three-pointers as a Hoosier after transferring in from Illinois, nailed two threes late in the game.

Indiana was 0-for-11 from three in the first half at Tennessee and were just 1-for-11 Friday night. They finished 4-for-19 in Knoxville and were 6-for-25 Friday. That's 10-for-44 total, a measly 22.7 percent.

"This is the deepest team that we'e had since I've been here, but we're not shooting the ball well from the three-point,'' Woodson said. "But we'll keep working on it.''

Marian, who is coached by former Hoosier Pat Knight, was led by Gus Etchison, who had 19 points, It was a happy homecoming for Knight, the son of Indiana basketball legend Bob Knight. He got a warm greeting before the game, then went out to center court and knelt down to kiss the IU logo. His mother, Nancy Knight, was at the game as well.

His father, who won three national championships at Indiana, passed away on Nov. 1 a year ago at age 83.

Things start for real on Wednesday night when Indiana hosts Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the regular season opener. The Cougars, who play in the Ohio Valley Conference, were 17-15 a year a go. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• KNIGHT RELISHES RETURN: Pat Knight, the son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight, returned to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday for an exhibition game against Indiana in his first year as the head coach of Marian University. CLICK HERE

• WHAT WOODSON SAID: What Mike Woodson said after Indiana's 106-64 exhibition victory over Marian. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Relive all the action from Indiana's win over Marian in Jack Ankony's live blog. CLICK HERE

• MIKE WOODSON'S RADIO SHOW RECAP: The first Inside Indiana Basketball radio show was on Monday. Mike Woodson talked about his injured Hoosiers, the mix of lineups, coaching against Pat Knight and more. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA BEATS TENNESSEE IN EXHIBITION: Indiana got a big second half from junior forward Malik Reneau to get a big 66-62 road win against No. 12 Tennessee in an exhibition basketball game on Sunday. Reneau finished with 21 points. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA TO PLAY KANSAS IN 2027: Indiana will play Kansas in Las Vegas in the 2026-27 season. CLICK HERE.