Mackenzie Mgbako put up a career performance in Indiana basketball victory over SIUE

Indiana basketball officially opened up its regular season, hosting SIUE on Wednesday night.

Indiana basketball entered the season displaying a revamped roster. One of the key moves Indiana made over the offseason was retaining forward Mackenzie Mgbako.

Mgbako had received looks in the 2024 NBA Draft projections after starting in 33 games as a true freshman with Indiana, averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Mgbako’s choice to stay with Indiana’s program for his sophomore season already looks like the right decision.

Mgbako was outstanding in the season opener against SIUE, scoring 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and four-for-five shooting from beyond the arc. 

31 points for Mgbako set a career high in points for the sophomore, breaking his career high of 24, which he set on the road at Maryland on March 3, 2024. The performance was Mgbako’s fourth time breaking 20 points in his collegiate career.

Mgbako found himself in an offensive groove early on, scoring 13 points across a four minute span towards the beginning of the first half.

Mgbako spoke on what personally worked for him as a player in a rhythm.

“I was just going with what the team gave me,” he said. “It was like moving the ball, finding the right shots, and just taking them.”

In addition to the phenomenal shooting display, Mgbako was just one rebound away from a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds, three of which were offensive rebounds.

Mgbako’s nine rebounds are the second most he’s recorded in a game, his most being 12 on the road at #10 Illinois on January 27, 2024. 

Mgbako reflected on some of the skills he worked on over the offseason to be ready to make the jump forward in his sophomore campaign.

“Most definitely worked on defense,” Mgbako said. “A big thing is defense creating offense. Being able to know the reads on the defensive side, that leads to offense.”

Aside from the growth before the season, Mgbako credited his teammates for allowing him to be successful while matching up against SIUE.

“Just playing within the offense and playing with my team,” he added. “Just being aggressive, playing with what they gave me.”

Fifth year senior Trey Galloway found it very special for him and his teammates to see Mgbako have a performance like he did.

“It’s great to see,” Galloway said. “People don’t see it, but we all see. He puts in the work. He’s very efficient in his work. He’s a guy that can score for us, and we know that. He did that tonight. We’re going to need him to do it a lot of times.” 

There is a huge importance for players and coaches to be able to recognize which player is hot in a game, to make sure the ball is being fed to them.

Galloway commented on his teammates needing to have this ability throughout the season.

“I think whenever it’s anybody’s night, just making sure we keep finding that person. It’s going to be a lot of guys’ nights throughout the season that can get out and score. Tonight was Mackenzie’s night and he played really well for us.”

It’s clear Mgbako was the player to be found, as he was kept on the floor for 28 minutes in the opener. Mgbako finished the game with a +/- of +21.

“I thought tonight was one of the best games he’s had since he’s been here,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said. “He was pretty solid defensively.”

Mgbako will look to stay hot, as Indiana basketball will host Eastern Illinois on Sunday, a noon tipoff. 

Indiana’s game against Eastern Illinois is the second of four games on the team’s regular season home stand.

SEE ALSO: Quick Hitters — Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 80-61 season-opening win over SIUE

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