Indiana Basketball: Oumar Ballo the next star big man for the Hoosiers

The former Arizona Wildcat, Oumar Ballo, has made his decision to play for Coach Woodson as an Indiana Hoosier. The big man is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance that saw him and his squad fall to the Clemson Tigers. Nonetheless, finished the season at 27-9 and 15-1 during conference play.

Before the commitment, it was rumored that he could be heading over to Chapel Hill to play for Coach Hubert Davis. That's all over now (obviously) choosing to wear red and white during 2024–2025.

The decision was made on April 16th, per Joe Tipton.

The Koulikoro, Mali native, is 7 feet tall and 260 pounds. A rising super-senior who averaged a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and one assist while converting 66 percent of his field goals throughout the entire season. That's an incredible stat; not too many can accomplish it.

Ballo's best performance occurred against California on February 1st, as he plugged in 22 points and 13 boards, additionally picking up two blocks. This happened to be the only time that he entered with 20 points or more this past season. Bearing in mind the caliber of a player he is, that's quite a surprise.

Between the home and road numbers, Ballo's is not too far off. At home, he stands at 13 points per game, 11 rebounds, and an assist. Conversely, his 12 points, nine rebounds, and one assist on the road are right up there.

Ballo began his college basketball career playing for Mark Few at Gonzaga before entering his name into the transfer portal once the season concluded. Now, he's back for another go-around at college basketball's version of free agency, this time taking his skills to Indiana.

A scoring machine around the rim, with the nature of running everybody he matches up with like a truck. A big who can rise above for a ferocious slam and get the crowd rocking in no time. The downside of Ballo's game is that he does not have much of an outside style of play, leading to clogging the paint at times. However, he makes it up with a knack for easily establishing position on the interior and serving an opening that his teammates can chuck the ball toward.

Coach Woodson is cooking in the portal, to say the least.