Indiana Near Top Of Big Ten After Fifth Straight Win As USC Falls 82-69

Indiana pulls clear of USC in the second half to improve to 4-1 in the Big Ten.

Indiana's Myles Rice (1) has the ball taken by USC's Saint Thomas (0) during the Indiana versus University of Southern California men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With a quarter of Big Ten play in the books, Indiana’s men’s basketball team is in a position to fight for the conference title.

Indiana’s 82-69 win over Southern California on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall gave the Hoosiers a 4-1 conference record. It puts the Hoosiers just a half-game behind first-place Michigan early on in the Big Ten race.

While it’s a position Indiana wants to be in, bigger tests than struggling USC are to come. Has Indiana crossed into true contender status, or do the Hoosiers need to improve?

Those questions will be answered when Indiana begins a stretch of 11 straight Quad 1 games starting Saturday at Iowa. In the meantime, Indiana coach Mike Woodson will take the satisfaction that comes from five straight wins for the Hoosiers.

“When we’re scrappy and defending and rebounding the ball as a unit and able to get out and play a little faster instead of staying in the half-court game, that’s Indiana basketball,” Woodson said. “We’ve had glimpses of it off and on, but in these last three games we’re playing much better.”

Wednesday’s game won’t win any beauty contests, but the Hoosiers got the job done as they outscored USC 44-31 in the second half to break a halftime tie.

For the second straight game, Indiana center Oumar Ballo topped 20 points as he scored 23 and had eight rebounds. Myles Rice added 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists, scoring nine of his points at the free throw line.

Luke Goode was 4 of 5 from 3-point range to score 16 points. Trey Galloway scored all but two of his 11 points in the second half.

So what is making Indiana better?

Jan 8, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) rebounds the ball against USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

“I think personally, it's defense and rebounding. At the beginning of the season, you go back to the trip down to the Bahamas, the biggest issue for us was guarding. We were getting killed by Louisville and Gonzaga. Couldn't guard anybody. The last 10 games I think we've out-rebounded our opponents,” Goode said.

Wesley Yates III led USC with 18 points.

The Hoosiers (13-3, 4-1) seemed to lack energy to start the game. While that’s a subjective observation, an objective fact was the Hoosiers’ poor shooting.

Indiana missed its first six shots. Mackenzie Mgbako was off the mark on two of those on his way to an 0-for-7 first half. Mgabko would never recover and went scoreless for the game. It meant that Indiana found a way to win with Mgbako not scoring and with forward Malik Reneau out for the second straight game with a knee injury.

USC’s physical defense made Indiana stagnant as the Hoosiers converted just five shots in the first 9:23 of the half.

Indiana’s defense wasn’t much better. The Trojans patiently worked their offense, making eight of their first 12 shots. USC built a 22-12 lead.

“We came out at the start of the game very slow, sluggish, and they played great early,” Woodson said.

Indiana rescued itself with a solid effort from bench players like Bryson Tucker. The freshman hit a pair of jumpers near the elbow to help Indiana get unstuck offensively.

USC, meanwhile, began to miss its open looks. A stretch where the Trojans missed six of seven shots opened the door for the Hoosiers to reel USC in.

An 8-0 Indiana run tied the game with 3:54 left. Goode and Ballo combined to hit Indiana’s last four shots of the first half as the Hoosiers led 38-34 with 1:16 left, but USC rallied to tie the game at halftime.

“They came out the gate pretty physical. I think it shocked us a little bit,” Galloway said. “The way we responded was great. I think just punching back was big for us. The way we responded was great. Obviously made some shots, but we started to defend and got back in transition.”

Indiana took command of the game early in the second half. Galloway was the catalyst as he scored seven points in an 11-1 run that flipped a two-point USC lead into a 49-41 Indiana advantage.

USC (9-6, 1-3) missed 12 of its first 17 shots in the second half, and Indiana would push its advantage to 65-52 with 7:56 left in the game.

Indiana Hoosiers center Oumar Ballo (11) dunks the ball past USC Trojans forward Rashaun Agee (12) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

By then, it was Ballo and Rice who led the scoring charge. Ballo scored 13 in the second half on 6 of 8 shooting. An active Rice added 12 second half points as he drew fouls and did much of his damage at the free throw line.

Though Indiana appeared to be in a prime position for a stress-free procession to the finish, USC didn’t give in. The Trojans knocked Indiana’s lead down to seven points three different times, the last time with 2:52 left in the game.

The Hoosiers finally put the game away when Galloway connected with Ballo for an alley-oop dunk with 2:23 left. It provided the impetus Indiana needed to pull away for good in the final minutes.

Can Indiana continue as the degree of difficulty rises with tougher Big Ten opponents to come? Goode thinks the Hoosiers can if they continue to do the things that built that success in the first place.

“I think to be able to continue to be successful in the Big10 in a physical league, we got to keep defending and rebounding. I think what we've been doing in the past, what is it, five Big10 games now, last three, has been great,” Goode said.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• LIVE BLOG: Follow along with the game as it happens in the Hoosiers On SI live blog for the Indiana-USC game. CLICK HERE.

• RENEAU INJURY UPDATE: The Hoosiers will be without Malik Reneau for a second straight full game as they host USC Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE

• KEY TO BALLO'S SUCCESS: The absence of Malik Reneau has fueled several theories that it's made Oumar Ballo better for Indiana. Many of Ballo’s successful plays feature him in motion, not in stationary positions on the floor. CLICK HERE