The injury to Indiana's guard Malik Reneau is one that came at a tough time for the Hoosiers as they are now getting into the thick of conference play. The Hoosiers were able to hold off Rutgers and Penn State without their leading scorer but with teams Illinois and Iowa on the slate, other players are going to have to step up.
Against Rutgers, it was Myles Rice who was the leading scorer on the team, and against Penn State, it was Oumar Ballo who stepped up. Going forward, it probably won't be just one person who is going to help the Hoosiers the most, but there are certain guys on the court who are going to help more than others.
So, while Reneau is sidelined with his lower-body injury, as Mike Woodson said, would be for an unknown amount of time, these three players are going to need to continually step up for the Hoosiers if they want to continue winning games.
1. Oumar Ballo
Ballo had a great game against Penn State, going off for 25 points and reeling in 13 rebounds for a double-double on the night. Even after some trouble a few games ago, Ballo has returned to the court and plays like a man with his hair on fire.
The 7-foot senior so far this season has averaged 13.6 points per game and 9.6 rebounds, leading the team on the boards. Ballo has also been a nightmare for opposing offenses averaging 1.9 blockers per game protecting his part of the court.
Ballo also has the second-highest shooting percentage on the team, even higher than Reneau, shooting 66.7% from the floor. Without Reneau on the court, more defenders might crowd Ballo in the paint, but with his size and close-range shooting ability, she should be able to overcome it or even set up other players as he does average 2.5 assists per game, which is the third highest on the team.
2. Mackenzie Mgbako
Mackenzie Mgbako actually averages the same amount of points per game that Reneau does with 14.1 per game. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is still finding his place on this Hoosiers team as a younger player, but averaging 27.1 minutes on the court has helped him get into his rhythm.
Mgbako does need to work on his shooting percentage, as he shoots just 49% from the floor, but he makes his shots count. The New Jersey native has the second-highest 3-point shooting percentage on the team, shooting 42.4 from beyond the arc. When Mgbako finds an open shot from his spot on the 3-point line, he is tough to beat, which is exactly what this team needs in the absence of Reneau.
3. Myles Rice
When Reneau went down within the first 30 seconds of the game against Rutgers, Rice was the one who put his team on his back and led the team with 21 points. Rice is slowly seeing his average points per game rise as he now averages 12.0 per game thanks to that performance against Rutgers.
One key area that Rice will be able to step up for Reneau is in the assists category. Rice averages 3.2 assists per game, which means he is creating other shots for players, and with Reneau being out and teams game planning for these three players, Rice might pull more defenders, opening up shots for others on the court.