Hoosiers Now

LIVE BLOG: Updates From Indiana Basketball's Season Opener Against SIU-Edwardsville

Welcome to our live blog for the Indiana men's basketball season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where we'll share live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game.

Jack Ankony

Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) scans the floor against Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) scans the floor against Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After exhibition wins over Tennessee and Marian, Indiana officially begins the 2024-25 regular season Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers are ranked No. 17 in the nation heading into the fourth season under coach Mike Woodson, who revamped the roster with six transfers and one freshman. SIUE began its season on Monday with a 95-42 win over Westminster.

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

Final: Indiana 80, SIUE 61. Mgbako led all scorers with 31 points. Indiana is 1-0 and hosts Eastern Illinois on Sunday.

2H 1:15 – Ballo with dunks on back-to-back possessions, assisted by Galloway on the pick and roll. Galloway has looked good in those settings tonight. Mgbako checks out and gets a big applause from the crowd after scoring a career-high 31 points.

2H 2:34 – After a scrum for the loose ball, SIUE's Baker came up with it and made a reverse layup through heavy defense from Mgbako. That's an 8-0 run for SIUE, cutting Indiana's lead down to 74-60.

2H 4:22 – Good dish from Rice to Reneau on a pick-and-roll. Rice had to fit it in a tight window, but he timed it perfectly and put it right where Reneau could catch it easily and put it up quick. Woodson loves to run the pick and roll, and that play was a good sign from Rice and Reneau. On the following possession, Reneau missed a post-up layup but got his own rebound and made the put-back. IU leads 74-52.

2H 5:44– Galloway with a nice stretch here late in the second half. Following his 3-pointer, he lofted a pass perfectly to Ballo for a dunk. A few possessions later, Rice brough the ball up quickly and found Mgbako on the right wing for an open three. Mgbako is up to 31 points, extending his career-high with every made basket. Indiana has its biggest lead of the game, 70-50.

2H 7:31 – Galloway with a nifty pass, throwing it over his shoulder to a cutting Mgbako for a dunk. Mgbako has 28 points, passing his career-high of 24 points, achieved last year in a win at Maryland. Galloway turned it over on the following possession near the sideline, bringing Indiana's turnover total to 14. But he knocked down a 3-pointer on the following possession. IU leads 65-48.

2H 9:46 – Goode missed a good look at a 3-pointer from the left wing, but Mgbako crashed the glass hard and tipped the ball in. Mgbako is up to 26 points on 11 for 14 shooting and seven rebounds. The rest of the team is shooting 10 for 30. Indiana leads 60-46.

2H 10:33 – Galloway jumped the passing lane for a steal, but he lost the ball going up for a fast-break layup. After two missed free throws from SIUE, Mgbako knocks down a face-up 3-pointer from the left wing. Indiana leads 58-46.

2H 11:49 – Bryson Tucker missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but Galloway crashed for the offensive rebound and banked in a put-back from a few feet out. Hoosiers lead 55-44 at the under-12.

2H 14:01 – SIUE came out of the timeout in some sort of press, but Rice knocked down a step-back 3-pointer on the first possession. Indiana is 3 for 8 on 3-point attempts tonight, with Mgbako making the other two. Mgbako threw a bad pass on the in-bounds, which led to a turnover and a SIUE layup the other way. But he answered with a layup of his own on the next possession, giving Indiana 49-38 lead.

2H 16:25 – Carlyle missed a contested layup, but Ballo established good position for the offensive rebound and put-back. Rice had his shot blocked off the backboard, and it led to a SIUE layup the other way. Goode checks in for Reneau, so IU is going smaller again. IU leads 44-34.

2H 18:31 – Indiana's first look of the second half is a mid-range jumper from Carlyle off a hand off from Ballo. Reneau missed a good look at a lefty hook the next trip down.

Halftime: Indiana 42, SIUE 30. Indiana closed the first half on a 15-3 run after SIUE tied the game at 27-27. Here are the halftime stats.

Indiana vs. SIUE basketball
Mackenzie Mgbako leads the Hoosiers with 19 points at halftime against SIUE. / statbroadcast.com

1H 0:54 – Carlyle and Goode played some great one-on-one defense that possession, but SIUE's Taylor threw up a prayer from 3-point range at the end of the shot clock and it went in. That stopped a 10-0 Indiana run. Reneau drew a foul on the other end and made both free throws, so the Hoosiers lead 40-30.

1H 1:58 – Indiana is really pushing the pace tonight and trying to build fast breaks, but it's led to some sloppy play. Rice threw an alley-oop to Tucker, but the pass was a bit off and led to Indiana's ninth turnover and Rice's fourth of the game. IU leads 37-27.

1H 2:58 – After SIUE tied the game at 27-27, Indiana responded with an 8-0 run, most recently with Ballo making a pair of free throws. He heads to the bench in place of Tucker, so Indiana is going smaller again.

1H 4:00 – Mgbako really came to play tonight. He hit his second 3-pointer of the game, then stole the ball and took it coast to coast. Mgbako made the fast break layup while being fouled, so he'll have a free throw on the other end of the timeout, with IU leading 32-27.

1H 4:47 – Rice's third turnover leads to an SIUE layup the other way. On the next possession, SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor ties the game at 27-27 with a 3-pointer.

1H 5:55 – Ballo takes one dribble to the middle and gets fouled as he goes up. Free throw shooting is a big of a concern for the 7-footer, a 56.4% career free throw shooter. He went 1 for 2 that time, extending Indiana's lead to 27-20.

1H 7:52– Indiana is in a bit of a scoring lull now, with just four points since the 12:42 mark. SIUE is outrebounding the Hoosiers 14-13, and Indiana has five turnovers. IU leads 24-20 at the under-8 timeout.

1H 10:43 – Woodson draws up an out of bounds play to free Tucker for a mid-range jumper, and he knocks it down. That's a strong sign of Woodson's trust in the freshman making his collegiate debut tonight. Indiana running with Cupps, Galloway, Tucker, Goode and Ballo now, leading 22-15.

1H 11:25 – They've wiped away a previous goaltending call, so IU leads 20-13 instead.

1H 11:25 – Indiana got beat on the glass on back-to-back possessions by SIUE big man Arnas Sakenis, who grabbed the offensive rebound and made the put-back. Indiana leads 22-13 at the under-12 timeout, with Gabe Cupps set to check in after the break.

1H 12:53 – Mgbako hits a mid-range jumper, then grabs an offensive rebound and lays it back in on the next possession. He's up to 13 points already. Freshman Bryson Tucker checks in for Mgbako, and Bellarmine transfer Langdon Hatton replaces Reneau. IU leads 19-9.

1H 14:09 – Mgbako knocks down a 3-pointer from the left wing, then slams home a fast-break dunk on the following possession. That was made possible by a steal from Myles Rice. Rice made an acrobatic pass to save the ball from going out of bounds, tossing it ahead to Galloway, who quickly threw it to Mgbako for the dunk. That got the Assembly Hall crowd on its feet and forced an SIUE timeout. Luke Goode checks in for Ballo, so Indiana is going with a smaller lineup now. IU leads 15-5.

1H 14:51 – Reneau stole the ball and started the fastbreak himself. He passed it off to Rice, who gave it right back to Reneau for an easy layup. Mgbako picked up his first foul on the following possession, clipping the arm of a jump shooter. Trey Galloway first off the bench for Indiana, replacing Kanaan Carlyle. He gets a big applause from the crowd. IU leads 10-5.

1H 15:49 – Indiana leads SIUE 6-3 at the under-16 timeout. All three of Indiana's baskets have come on offensive rebounds. Myles Rice has tried to speed the game up, but he has turned it over twice.

1H 17:45– Carlyle missed a corner three off an out of bounds play. Pretty good look, just didn't fall. Carlyle stole the ball on the next possession and made a nice pass to Mgbako on a fast break. Mgbako missed the shot, but Ballo grabbed the offensive rebound and laid it in. IU leads 4-0.

1H 19:37 – Ballo drove from the free throw line and missed a runner, but Reneau was there for the offensive rebound and putback. Indiana tried pushing the pace the next possession, but Mgbako couldn't handle Rice's pass.

7:51 p.m. – Starting lineup tonight for Indiana: Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo. Carlyle is back in the starting lineup after missing Friday's game against Marian, which means Trey Galloway will come off the bench. Mgbako and Reneau are Indiana's lone returning starters from last season, with Rice, Carlyle and Ballo transferring in.

6:30 p.m. – Indiana senior guard Anthony Leal is out for tonight's game, according to the Big Ten pregame availability report. No one else was listed out or questionable, which means Trey Galloway, Bryson Tucker, Jakai Newton and Kannan Carlyle will be available Wednesday night after missing one of Indiana's two exhibition games.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

  • PRESEASON Q&A: With Indiana beginning the regular season Wednesday, we answer 10 questions – from individual roles to a big-picture look at the season – about the Hoosiers as they head into their fourth year under coach Mike Woodson. CLICK HERE
  • 3 THINGS TO WATCH: Indiana’s defensive adjustments, 3-point shooting and production from freshmen are all factors to monitor Wednesday in the Hoosiers’ season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. CLICK HERE
  • HOW TO WATCH: Indiana begins the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Here's how to watch, game time and TV info, announcers, the point spread and over/under, projected score, key stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
  • POINT SPREAD: Indiana is a big favorite against SIU-Edwardsville in its season opener Wednesday night, but let's not forget how much they struggled against low-level opponents last year. Here is the latest from Tom Brew on the point spread, with a great history vs. the number for both teams. CLICK HERE
  • MEET THE OPPONENT: SIU-Edwardsville comes off two winning seasons and is expected to contend in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025. Kyle Thomas, the son of former Indiana great Daryl Thomas, is on their roster. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA INJURY UPDATES: Even though five players missed one exhibition game as a precaution, Indiana coach Mike Woodson is confident he'll have a healthy lineup for Wednesday night's regular season opener against SIU-Edwardsville at Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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