LIVE BLOG: Indiana Hosts Indianapolis in Exhibition Game

Indiana takes the court for the first time Sunday against the University of Indianapolis in an exhibition game. Welcome to our live blog, where we'll keep you updated with all the news and views in real time, with opinion and highlights thrown in as well.

Jack Ankony | Oct 29, 2023

LIVE BLOG: Indiana Hosts Indianapolis in Exhibition Game /

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The first look at the 2023-24 Indiana Hoosiers comes Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds.

Coach Mike Woodson lost plenty of talent from last year's roster, but replaced that with three transfers – Kel'el Ware, Anthony Walker and Payton Sparks – as well as three freshmen: Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton.

Welcome to our live blog, where we'll post updates, thoughts and highlights from the game in real time from Assembly Hall.

2:55 p.m. – FINAL: Indiana 74, Indianapolis 52. Mgbako and Ware finish as the leading scorers with 14 points each, but five Hoosiers scored at least eight points and everyone scored at least two points.

2:52 p.m. – Kel'el Ware knocks down a 3-pointer, something you don't see often from a player of his size.

2:50 p.m. – Mgbako throws a lob to Ware, who reached high and far back to snatch it and throw it down. Impressive play by the 7-footer, who's flashed a bit of his vast potential today.

2:42 p.m. – Mgbako makes his first 3-pointer as a Hoosier, followed quickly by a UIndy timeout. The crowd seems relieved now, as IU leads 62-45 with 4:03 left. Gabe Cupps gets a big hand from the Assembly Hall crowd. He's only scored two points today, but had some important moments on defense and took care of the ball well. Has played 15 minutes today.

2:37 p.m. – Indiana now running its smallest lineup of the game: Johnson, Cupps, Galloway, Walker and Reneau. Haven't seen those three guards together yet today.

2:34 p.m. – Cupps gets his first steal of the game, and it leads to an easy layup for Leal in transition. Though just a freshman, Cupps has looked the part on defense today. He also hasn't turned the ball over while running the point for what is currently 13 minutes of action.

2:32 p.m. – The second unit is giving Indiana some of its best defense of the day. UIndy hasn't scored in about three minutes, then over two minutes before that. IU leads 53-38 with 7:59 to play.

2:27 p.m. – Cupps scores his first points of the game on a nice floater after taking it coast to coast. Payton Sparks fell hard after driving to the basket, and he leaves the game with some sort of leg injury, maybe ankle.

2:24 p.m. – Nice defense from freshman point guard Gabe Cupps and the rest of the IU defense to force a 10-second violation on UIndy. You don't see that very often. Anthony Walker scores inside for the second time in a few minutes, extending IU's lead to 50-38 with 9:37.

2:19 p.m. – Mackenzie Mgbako bumped on a mid-range runner, so he'll go to the line after the timeout with IU leading 44-36 with 11:25 to play. Mgbako is 1-for-4 from the line, 3-for-8 overall and 0-for-1 from three with seven points today.

2:12 p.m. – Indiana's first 3-pointer of the game comes from Xavier Johnson with just over 14 minutes to play, giving Indiana a 40-34 lead. Mgbako blocks a shot shortly after, leading to an easy transition dunk for Malik Reneau. UIndy calls timeout, and Cupps and Walker will check back in after.

2:07 p.m. – Kel'el Ware gets an easy dunk in transition on an assist from Galloway. He missed the layup, but Indiana jumps out to a 35-31 with a quick start in the second half. The Hoosiers are continuing to get looks at the rim – they're just making them now. Three layups and two dunks to start the second half.

2:02 p.m. – Same starters for Indiana in the second half. Indiana went 6-for-19 on layups in the first half. Have to think that'll improve in the second half.

1:46 p.m. – Indiana trails UIndy 27-25 at halftime. The Hoosiers have easily left 10-plus points on the board with missed layups, but credit UIndy for their physical contests at the rim. Indiana is 0-for-4 from three, while UIndy is 6-for-19. Indiana also 5-for-11 from the free throw line. Definitely some concerning moments with this team, but it's also the first half of action with a largely new team.

1:41 p.m. – Kel'el Ware showing some of the rim protection skills Indiana wants from him, blocking shots on back-to-back possessions. Not only is he 7-feet tall, but he's got long arms and can jump.

1:37 p.m. – UIndy hits a couple 3-pointers to tie the game 19-19 with 3:31 left in the first half. Some sloppy turnovers from Indiana, but also leaving a ton of points on the board with missed layups. Credit to UIndy for knocking down their outside shots, too. It's clear this Indiana team will need some games to build chemistry, as it has six new scholarship players this year.

1:35 p.m. – The online stats aren't working, so I don't have the exact number, but it feels like Indiana has missed about 10-15 shots within two feet of the basket, along with a handful of free throws. Not a lot of bad or forced shots either, just not finishing. IU leads 17-13.

1:27 p.m. – CJ Gunn reaches in for a deflection, which bounces to Anthony Walker, who skips it ahead to Gunn in transition for an easy dunk. In an ode to Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gunn does the "raise the roof" celebration, as the Hoosiers take a 14-11 lead. Gunn leads Indiana with seven points early on.

1:24 p.m. – Another really nice sequence from Sparks and Gunn. Sparks caught the ball at the high post, then dished a crisp bounce pass to the back-cutting Gunn who converted the layup through the foul. He missed the free throw, though.

1:22 p.m. – Payton Sparks with the best sequence of any Hoosier so far today. Grabs the offensive rebound after a CJ Gunn missed three, then puts his defender in the spin cycle and finishes off the glass with his left hand. Gunn knocks down a midrange after. IU leads 10-8 at the midway point of the first half.

1:17 p.m. – Mike Woodson calls timeout, tied 5-5 with 11:47 left in the first half. The Hoosiers have missed an incredible amount of close looks. They have a clear height and length advantage and are able to get to the rim somewhat easily, but not converting contested looks. Gabe Cupps, Payton Sparks, Anthony Leal and Anthony Walker are set to check in after the timeout.

1:13 p.m. – IU's first 3-point attempt is missed by Xavier Johnson just before the end of the shot clock. After a defensive stop, Mgbako missed two more close shots at the rim, but was fouled on the latter. He goes 0-for-2 at the line. CJ Gunn first off the bench, replacing Galloway.

1:08 p.m. – Trey Galloway has been eager to push the ball in transition so far. He missed his first attempt earlier, then converted on a crisp give-and-go with Johnson. Indiana is relentlessly attacking the rim early on – no 3-point attempts yet. IU leads 4-3 at the under-16 timeout. Feels like UIndy will have trouble with IU's height and length today.

1:05 p.m. – Nice up and under move from Reneau, finishing with his right hand, for Indiana's first basket.

1:04 p.m. – Reneau had a pretty open look at a layup off a baseline out of bounds play, but he missed. Mgbako grabbed the offensive rebound but also missed. Ware missed a layup and put-back on the following possession. IU is getting to the rim but not finishing.

1:02 p.m. – Kel'el Ware wins the tip off and we're under way.

12:40 p.m. – It's always important to take some of these exhibition games with a grain of salt, both because of the level of competition and because it's the first game of the season. But here are a few things I'm watching for today: How connected does Indiana look defensively? That's very important to Woodson, and always a determining factor in playing time. How does Xavier Johnson look in his first game back after breaking his foot on Dec. 17, 2022? His game relies a lot of quickness and agility, so it'll be interesting to see how he plays in that regard. And lastly, guard depth. Indiana has two veterans with Johnson and Trey Galloway, but behind them are a handful of unproven players in Gabe Cupps, CJ Gunn and Anthony Leal. Can they knock down outside shots and defend?

12:15 p.m. – Indiana's starting five today is Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware. That's a lot of height, and something I'm looking for today is how Indiana's trio of forwards – 6-foot-8 Mgbako, 6-foot-9 Reneau and 7-foot Ware – play together in regards to spacing.

11:45 a.m. – The Hoosiers are warming up at Assembly Hall, but Jakai Newton (knee), Kaleb Banks (groin) and walk-on Jordan Rayford (lower body) are not in uniform. Indiana will have 10 scholarship players active today.

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