Indiana Hopes Oumar Ballo’s Winning Tournament Experience Helps At Battle 4 Atlantis

Oumar Ballo helped Arizona win the 2022 Maui Invitational. He’s hoping he can give the Hoosiers a similar effort at Battle 4 Atlantis.

Indiana Hoosiers center Oumar Ballo (11) holds the ball while UNC-Greensboro Spartans forward Jalen Breath (22) defends in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It’s been a little while since Indiana’s men’s basketball program had a championship run at a multi-team exempt tournament that didn’t exclusively take place at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana’s last perfect run away from its home court in a MTE tournament was when the Hoosiers won two games at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center to win the 2012 Progressive Legends Classic, part of a 4-0 tournament run that included two games in Bloomington.

For a Bloomington-free championship run? The 2002 Maui Invitational championship is the last time the Hoosiers pulled that off.

That lack of team MTE tournament success could suggest the Hoosiers won’t have winning experience to make a championship run at Battle 4 Atlantis this week. Indiana begins its Battle 4 Atlantis adventure against Louisville at noon ET on Wednesday.

However, the transfer portal can bring that winning experience to a team. And so it is for Indiana center Oumar Ballo.

Ballo was part of Arizona’s 2022 Maui Invitational championship team. He wasn’t just along for the ride – Ballo was the tournament MVP.

Ballo converted 79.4% of his shots in Maui victories over Cincinnati, San Diego State and Creighton. He averaged 21 points, 10.7 rebounds as he had one of the most dynamic stretches of his career.

Like Battle 4 Atlantis, the Maui Invitational is a three-games-in-three-days proposition. Concerns are sometimes raised over how many minutes Ballo can play, but he didn’t have any issues in Maui. He averaged 29.7 minutes in his MVP run.

“These kinds of events are great for any team. I was fortunate enough to win in Maui, three games, three days apart,” Ballo said on Tuesday from The Bahamas. “We’ve got to take it game by game as coach says and see how it leads us.”

Ballo is, of course, integral to No. 14 Indiana’s Battle 4 Atlantis and season aspirations.

He’s off to a solid start. His 12 points per game scoring average is below his peak of 14.2 points per game from that 2022-23 season at Arizona, but close to his 12.9 points he averaged for the Wildcats in 2023-24.

Indiana's Oumar Ballo (11) shoots during the Indiana versus South Carolina men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ballo’s rebounding average of 9.8 is just barely off his career-high Arizona average of 10.1 in 2024. Ballo has converted 70.4% from the field, a career-high if it sticks, and he’s blocked 2.8 shots per game, well above his career-best average of 1.3.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson has no complaints about his latest productive big man. From Trayce Jackson-Davis to Kel’El Ware to Ballo, the Hoosiers have been menacing in the paint in the Woodson era.

“He's been everything that I thought when we were recruiting him and going through the process. A well-mannered young man that works. Very coachable,” Woodson said. “He’s been everything I can ask as a big man.”

Ballo’s presence in the lane has had the desired defensive effect for Indiana. His blocked shots – he tied his career-high with six against South Carolina on Nov. 16 - are one thing. But his bulk and positional sense makes it a challenge for opposing lane penetrators to take advantage of Ballo.

His presence has helped Indiana rank 27th nationally (entering Tuesday’s games) in two-point field goal defense at 41.5%.

Indiana's Oumar Ballo (11) blocks a shot during the Indiana versus UNC Greensboro men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, Nov. 21, 1024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“It cleans up a lot of mistakes from a defensive standpoint that we might have around him,” Woodson noted. “We don't like putting all the pressure on him to get all the rebounds and block shots and to plug the hole. But that's what I expect big guys to do, and that was the whole reason for bringing him over. And I think he's responded really well for us.”

Indiana and Ballo are still trying to feel each other out as far as what best takes advantage of his skill set. The Hoosiers are posting Ballo up more than Arizona did. The staff is also trying to ascertain the best way to make both Ballo and Malik Reneau productive when they’re on the floor together.

“He’s still trying to learn who I am as a coach, and I'm trying to learn his game and what he likes to do on both ends of the floor,” Woodson said.

“We just got to keep pushing one another, helping each other, because that's what it's all about,’’ Woodson added. “When you go in the portal and you bring players that are not used to being around you that's trying to figure who you are as a coach, but it's been a good process so far, having him on our team, and can't help but think we'll continue to grow well together.”

Some fans have criticized Woodson for playing Ballo and Reneau so much together. Woodson was asked Tuesday about playing small against Louisville. He believes the Hoosiers can do that, but he likes the pressure his bigs put on the opposition.

“Having Ballo and Malik, that's a problem for our opponents. They got to match up to us, too. So we just got to see how the game goes and see where it leads us,” Woodson said.

Does Ballo have another MVP run in him? As Woodson likes to say, time will tell, but as far as his general happiness with the Hoosiers? That’s not up for debate.

“It's been really good. You know, the coaching styles, managers, my teammates … it's been fun so far. I’m grateful and I’m glad I’m here,” Ballo said.

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