Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 84-74 win over Rutgers

The Indiana basketball program got back in the win column on Thursday night with an 84-74 win over Rutgers.

IU led for 31:11 on the night and by as much as 18 in the second half.

Indiana moves to 11-3 (2-1) on the season and did what it needed to do to hold home court advantage.

Here are the key takeaways from IU’s win over Rutgers.

Oumar Ballo’s big bounce back night: After missing IU’s win over Winthrop on Sunday, Ballo was back in the lineup and played a huge role in the win. He was dominant on both ends of the floor — scoring, defending and rebounding. Ballo has been up and down this season but when he’s been on, he’s been dominant. That was the performance on Thursday. He finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 from the floor with 12 rebounds (seven offensive), two assists and three blocks. His high energy was evident and his ability to get to his spot in the paint was clear. Indiana made Ballo a clear point of emphasis all night and he was able to score off of pick and rolls, at the rim on high lobs and off of offensive rebound putbacks. This was the type of response Indiana basketball needed from him.

Malik Reneau’s injury: While IU has been banged up periodically, it had avoided any major injury thus far this season but there may be some concern moving forward. Malik Reneau, the leading scorer for Indiana basketball, played just 29 seconds in Thursday’s win over Rutgers before exiting with a knee injury and not returning. The injury happened when teammate Luke Goode fell back on his right knee which was planted. He wouldn’t return to the bench until after halftime, when he sat on the end of the bench with a bulky ice pack on his knee. Reneau was averaging 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game this season.

Hoosiers dominate the offensive glass: Indiana has had its struggles on the glass this season but Thursday was a different story and the main reason for Indiana’s win. IU finished with 18 offensive rebounds and a 34-8 advantage in second chance points — and a 21-3 advantage at the end of the first half. Indiana came into Thursday averaging 8.7 offensive rebounds a game and an average of +6 on the glass per game. Oumar Ballo led the Hoosiers with seven offensive rebounds while six players at least had one. IU’s 18 offensive rebounds were a season high.

Floodgates open from the perimeter: After its worst shooting performance in years, Indiana turned around with its best of the season. IU went 1-of-20 from three against Winthrop and turned around and was 12-of-27 tonight. The Hoosiers came in shooting just 24-of-107 from three in the last five games and 30.6 percent on the season. It ranked in the 300s in every statistical category for three-point shooting. Thursday’s performance was the first game this season with double-digit made 3s, while six players made a three and three players made at least three 3s. That’s the first time IU had three players with three 3s since 2016. Normally the opposite, Indiana outscored Rutgers by 18 from the three-point line.

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