No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana square off at Battle 4 Atlantis after upset losses in first round
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Barely more than 5 minutes into the first half, a frustrated Hoosiers fan loudly pleaded, “Wake up, Indiana!”
Indiana immediately committed two turnovers – its fifth and sixth at that point of the half – on consecutive possessions.
At nearly the same juncture in the second half, the same fan had the same message: “Wake up, Indiana!” The Hoosiers promptly gave up a Louisville dunk, bricked a 3-point attempt at the offensive end and trailed by 25 points.
The 14th-ranked Hoosiers, whose fans inside Imperial Arena easily outnumbered Louisville’s, stayed in their slumber to the final buzzer, falling 89-61 in their Battle 4 Atlantis opener.
So the Gonzaga-Indiana matchup that oddsmakers and most college basketball followers thought would happen is happening – just not in the semifinals.
The upsets kept coming as No. 3 Gonzaga lost to West Virginia 86-78 in overtime in Wednesday’s second game.
The Zags (5-1) and Hoosiers (4-1) suffered their first losses of the young season and one will get back in the winning column after Thursday’s 11:30 a.m. clash. West Virginia and Louisville meet in the semifinals.
Gonzaga will see a couple of familiar faces – 7-foot center Oumar Ballo, the former Zag who starts at center for the Hoosiers, and guard Myles Rice, a transfer from Washington State.
Ballo, a native of Mali, spent two seasons at Gonzaga, one as an academic redshirt and the other as a reserve post. He transferred to Arizona, following former Zags assistant coach Tommy Lloyd when he was hired as the Wildcats coach following the 2021 season.
Ballo earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors twice before opting to transfer to Indiana for his final season. He’s fourth on the team in scoring (11.8) and the top rebounder (9.0).
Ballo finished with 11 points and six boards but committed four turnovers against Louisville. He’ll likely match up against Graham Ike, though Braden Huff played 30 minutes compared to Ike’s 14 against West Virginia.
Rice had a rough night, going scoreless in the first half and finishing with three points, one assist and three turnovers. He made 1 of 11 field-goal attempts. Ryan Nembhard or Nolan Hickman will likely draw the defensive assignment on Rice.
Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana’s leading scorer at 18.8 points, also will be looking to rebound after finishing with eight points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field against Louisville. Michael Ajayi figures to match up against the 6-9 Mgbako.