‘Probably one of the ugliest games I’ve ever covered at Assembly Hall’
IndyStar IU Insider Zach Osterman tries to make sense of the Hoosiers’ blowout loss to Illinois at home.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – IU basketball junior forward Malik Reneau is expected to remain out for tonight’s game at Ohio State, IndyStar confirmed Friday. It will be Reneau’s fifth full game on the sideline after sustaining a knee injury within the first minute of Indiana’s Jan. 2 win against Rutgers.
IU’s leading scorer when healthy, Reneau has been around IU on game days without crutches or any other walking assistance, underscoring Mike Woodson’s suggestion he expects to see Reneau again this season. But Woodson also hasn’t been able to put a firm timetable on his third-year forward’s return either.
In his place, the Hoosiers have leaned harder on Oumar Ballo, who is playing a greater percentage of his team’s minutes at present than at any other point in his career.
Ballo is averaging 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Per a Big Ten source, he is not expected to receive any retroactive punishment from the conference for his role in a late-game on-court fracas in IU’s Tuesday loss to Illinois, an incident that culminated in Ballo’s ejection.
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