Live Blog: Follow Indiana's Basketball Game Against Kennesaw State

Welcome to our live blog, where we'll share live updates, highlights and thoughts on Friday's game between Indiana and Kennesaw State from press row at Assembly Hall.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is back in action Friday against Kennesaw State after nearly a week off around Christmas. Tipoff between the Hoosiers and Owls is set for 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten-plus. 

Last time out, Indiana defeated North Alabama 83-66 behind 12 3-pointers, the most in three seasons under coach Mike Woodson. On the other side, Kennesaw State lost 79-70 at UNC-Asheville but holds a 9-4 record on the year.

Welcome to our live blog, where we'll share live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game from press row at Assembly Hall.

8:05 p.m. – Final: Indiana 100, Kennesaw State 87. Kennesaw State gave Indiana a real test for the second consecutive season, but couldn't get the defensive stops require to pull the upset. The Owls shot 17-of-35 from three. Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 34 points.

8:02 p.m. – Reneau now has a double-double after putting back his own miss. He's got 33 points and 10 rebounds. 

7:57 p.m. – IU leads 97-82 with 1:49 left in the game. Kennesaw State gave Indiana a real test, but the Hoosiers responded with their best offensive game of the year.

7:51 p.m. – IU's lead up to 92-77 now. Kennesaw State simply can't stop Reneau, who's up to a career-high 29 points. Kaleb Banks will have a pair of free throws after the timeout with 3:25 remaining. Indiana's defense has left something to be desired, but its offense already has a season-high and counting. 

7:48 p.m. – Kennesaw State won't quite go away, as Cottle hits another three. The Owls are 15-of-29 from three tonight, and IU hasn't done much to stop it. 

7:45 p.m. – IU trailed 68-64 roughly seven minutes ago, but it now leads 85-71 with 6:13 to play. Reneau has thrived inside during that stretch and now has 25 points, tied for his career high. Banks, Leal and Walker giving Woodson good minutes off the bench, too.

7:39 p.m. – Walker hits a pair of mid-range jumpers, and IU is back on top by 10 points. That's a 7-0 run in the last 1:36, and it came with a lineup that Woodson rarely, if ever, uses: Galloway, Leal, Banks, Walker and Reneau.

7:37 p.m. – Banks now good from three in the corner, extending IU's lead to six. Banks has 11 points tonight. 

7:35 p.m. – Galloway to Leal in transition for an easy layup, but Galloway fouls Larue on the other end for an and-one. IU leads 74-71. 

7:33 p.m. – Kennesaw State in some foul trouble now. Rongie Gordon and Jusaun Holt both have four, and Ademokoya has three. IU leads 70-68 with 11:30 left.

7:30 p.m. – Really nice pass from Anthony Walker inside to Malik Reneau to put IU back on top, 69-68. The play looked like it was going to break down after Kennesaw State hedged IU's screen for Galloway, but Walker threaded the needle to Reneau for an easy layup. This place is loud.

7:27 p.m. – Indiana turns it over again, its 13th, but is able to catch a break on a missed three from Cottle. Banks gets an and-one on the other end, Holt's fourth foul. Kennesaw State leads 68-67 with 12:32 left. 

7:25 p.m. – And now Kennesaw State takes its first lead of the game, 65-64, on a three from Simeon Cottle. The Hoosiers have really struggled limiting open 3-point looks. Anthony Leal is checking in now. 

7:24 p.m. – The Indiana bench was just called for a technical foul. Woodson is very upset at an offensive foul called on Kaleb Banks a few possessions ago, and he hasn't stopped yelling at the officials. I can't blame him, it was a terrible call. 

7:21 p.m. – Burden knocks down another three, and IU's lead is down to 60-58. The Owls are 11-for-21 from three tonight. 

7:18 p.m. – Sparks rebounds a missed three from Reneau and puts it back in through a foul. He was fired up after the layup, screaming "and one" in his defender's ear. Sparks is having a nice game in Ware's absence, scoring 10 points with eight rebounds and three blocks. 

7:17 p.m. – Mgbako picks up his third could with 16:30 left in the game while going after a missed free throw from Sparks. Burden answers on the other end with a layup, cutting IU's lead to 58-55. 

7:11 p.m. – IU caught Kennesaw State sleeping on a baseline out of bounds play. Mgbako threw it to Galloway right in front of the rim for an easy tip in. Hoosiers lead 56-51 with 17:01 left in the game.

7:08 p.m. – Mgbako passes up an open three for a drive, and he's called for a charge. It's good to see him aggressive and driving the basket, but that's also a clean look after going 4-for-5 from three in the first half. 

6:58 p.m. – IU has to find a way to slow Kennesaw State down in the second half. The Owls have 10 fast break points and 14 points off turnovers. It'll also be interesting to see if Kennesaw State can maintain their strong 3-point shooting start, going 9-for-18 in the first half. 

6:51 p.m. – Halftime: Indiana 50, Kennesaw State 46. For a second consecutive season, Kennesaw State is giving Indiana all it can handle at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers led by as much as 13 points, but Kennesaw State's potent offense really turned it up in the last 10 minutes. IU has been too careless with the ball, turning it over nine times. The big difference has been the free throw line. IU is 11-for-15 at the line, and Kennesaw State is 1-for-2.

6:45 p.m. – Gabe Cupps picks up his second foul on a reach in that he didn't agree with. There certainly wasn't much contact, but he might have gotten some of the wrist. Burden responds with another three, and IU's lead is down to 46-42.

6:43 p.m. – Galloway goes 1-for-2 at the line, which has been a common theme for the 51.4% free throw shooter this season. That's a pretty significant drop-off from his 64.4% mark last season. IU leads 44-37 with three minutes left in the half. 

6:39 p.m. – IU is hanging on to a 43-34 lead, but hasn't quite been able to blow this game open. Kennesaw State is 7-for-14 from three and is clearly a talented and deep offensive team. The question is whether they'll continue to hit threes at such a high rate and if they can hang with IU in the post. 

6:35 p.m. – Kennesaw State is still hanging in this one thanks to its insistence on pushing the pace. Whenever the grab a rebound, they're immediately focused on running and trying to get a fast break layup. They've got eight fast break points, and several other open shots have come from not allowing IU to set its defense. 

6:30 p.m. – Tough foul call on Sparks going for a steal. Looks like he may have grabbed his opponent, but I thought he mostly got around him without much contact. Sparks is certainly playing hard tonight, with five points, five rebounds and three blocks. 

6:27 p.m. – IU leads Kennesaw State 37-24 at the under-8 timeout. Owls called for goaltending on a strong drive from CJ Gunn after a wraparound pass from Gabe Cupps. Indiana has played well so far, but seven turnovers are holding them back from perfection. 

6:24 p.m. – Gunn jumps the passing lane for a steal, but had his shot blocked in transition. Banks was there for the rebound, then got fouled on the put-back and went 1-for-2 at the line. This game isn't slowing down one bit. IU leads 35-23 with 8:30 left in the half.

6:22 p.m. – Sparks converts the old-fashioned three-point play, then gets his third block of the game on the other end. He's played well so far with Ware out. 

6:21 p.m. – Reneau checks out for the first time with nine points and four assists. Kennesaw State won't go away, though, as Holt's three cuts it to 31-23. 

6:17 p.m. – Nifty assist from Reneau to a back-cutting Trey Galloway. Reneau caught it near the elbow and flipped it toward the rim with his back to the basket. He's developed into so much more than just a post-up player this year. 

6:12 p.m. – Mgbako now 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, this one on a bit of a step-back attempt from the right wing. Still early, but this is shaping up to be his best game. 

6:10 p.m. – Cupps did a nice job poking away a steal, but he missed an off-balance layup in transition. Fortunately, Galloway was there to clean it up. It's been a fast-paced game so far, with IU leading 24-13. Keep in mind, Kennesaw State entered the game ranked No. 1 in tempo, per KenPom.

6:05 p.m. – And now Reneau makes a three from the left wing. The Hoosiers are 4-for-4 from beyond the arc to start the game. The last time out against North Alabama, Indiana made 12 threes, the most in three seasons under Woodson. Cupps adds a mid-range pullup and the Hoosiers are up 18-8 early.

6:04 p.m. – Mgbako sinks ANOTHER three, giving him nine points in just over two minutes. The other bucket came from a nice inside move from Payton Sparks. Hoosiers up 11-8 early.

6:03 p.m. – Mgbako good from three again, this one in nearly the same spot. He's got six points in about a minute. Would be huge for him to get his shooting stroke going, as he entered the game shooting 22.7% from three.

6:02 p.m. – Mgbako drains a corner three on the first possession, which is answered immediately by a KSU three. 

6:00 p.m. – Sparks wins the tip and we're under way.

5:58 p.m. – If you're surprised Payton Sparks is starting tonight and not Anthony Walker, I'd guess Woodson's explanation is that, by definition, Sparks is the backup center and Walker is a power forward. That doesn't mean guys can't or shouldn't be able to slide over positions after injuries, but that'd be my guess. Keep in mind, the starters also don't have to play the most minutes. 

5:52 p.m. – Indiana's starters for tonight are Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Payton Sparks. I'd also expect to see plenty of Anthony Walker tonight, and maybe some smaller lineups with Mgbako at power forward.

5:49 p.m. – 2024 Indiana signee Liam McNeeley is sitting next to Race Thompson behind the scorer's table for tonight's game at Assembly Hall. Thompson is back in Bloomington rehabbing a leg injury he suffered over the summer practicing with the New York Knicks. 

5:32 p.m. – To get ready for the game, CLICK HERE to read our full breakdown of Indiana's opponent, Kennesaw State. The Owls won the Atlantic Sun Conference last season and return a bulk of their rotation. The biggest changes are the loss of leading scorer Chris Youngblood and head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Simeon Cottle has taken a major jump in his sophomore season to replace Youngblood, and Kennesaw State hired longtime Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway as its head coach. The Owls are off to a 9-4 start and were picked second in the preseason Atlantic Sun poll.

5:20 p.m. – It'll be interesting to see how Mike Woodson sets the starting lineup without Kel'el Ware tonight. The obvious choices are Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau. The fifth option is likely between Anthony Walker, Payton Sparks, Kaleb Banks and CJ Gunn. In terms of traditional position definitions, Sparks is the only true center to replace Ware. But with the size of Reneau and Mgbako, Indiana could afford to give up some size and play any of Walker, Banks and Gunn. In my opinion, the decision comes down to whether Woodson believes Mgbako can play power forward or is better at small forward. My personal choice would be Walker, who has scored a combined 29 points in the last two games.

5:15 p.m. – As expected, Xavier Johnson is not in uniform for warmups. He's out of the walking boot, but still won't play tonight. Indiana's next game is Jan. 3 at Nebraska.

3:00 p.m. – The Big Ten's pregame availability report has been released, and Indiana will be without starting center Kel'el Ware, freshman guard Jakai Newton and walk-on Jordan Rayford. Ware leads the Hoosiers with 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds through 12 games. College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman reported that Ware is out due to COVID. Indiana starting point guard Xavier Johnson is listed questionable, but Goodman reported that Johnson is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• WARE OUT, JOHNSON QUESTIONABLE: Indiana will be without starting center Kel'el Ware in Friday's game against Kennesaw State, and starting point guard Xavier Johnson is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game. CLICK HERE
• KENNESAW STATE BREAKDOWN: After winning a program-record 26 games last season, Kennesaw State returns most of its rotation and has its sights set on another NCAA Tournament appearance. Indiana defeated Kennesaw State 69-55 last year, and the Owls are now led by first-year coach Antoine Pettway. Here's a breakdown of the Owls. CLICK HERE
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