INDIANA UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL EARLY 2025 PLAYER STOCK REPORTS

Following an impressive road victory at Penn State’s notorious Palestra venue earlier today, Mike Woodson and his Indiana men’s basketball team are officially 2-0 to begin 2025. While things have been a bit more volatile for this club than many had anticipated, kicking off the new year with a pair of conference dubs certainly has things trending in the right direction for this collective unit.

But which way is the arrow pointing for each individual player as we look ahead to what is to come?

MYLES RICE = DOWN

From a raw numbers standpoint (12.2 PPG | 3.2 RPG | 3.1 APG vs. 2.5 TOPG | 1.2 SPG | 48.1% FG | 30.8% 3FG | 91.7% FT), Rice has been pretty solid running the show for this team going into today’s game against the Nittany Lions. However, his performance has been wildly inconsistent from a game-to-game basis. He has had some big nights, but those always seem to be followed by a rough outing. For instance, he struggled to find a rhythm today (just 9 points on 2-9 shooting to go along with 4 assists and 2 turnovers) after torching Rutgers to the tune of 21 points in the last game. If he is going to reach his full potential for this team, he will have to establish some consistency.

TREY GALLOWAY = UP

Galloway has once again proven himself to be a breath of fresh air for this team. Not only is he once again leading the team in dimes (3.8 APG), but he is also burying 42.9% of his 3’s while providing his usual dosage of dogged defense on the wing.

MACKENZIE MGBAKO = UP

Similar to Myles Rice, Mgbako’s output has been a bit of a see-sawing act thus far in the year. He looked the part of a legitimate B1G Player of the Year candidate following a monstrous season opener (career-high 31 points), but has faded back into the fray since then due to his ongoing bout with inconsistency. Following a solid performance in today’s contest (20 points on 7-13 shooting from the field [4-8 from deep] + 4 boards), he has his trajectory heading back in the right route. That present path is subject to change, and it is on him to sustain his positive play each and every night out.

MALIK RENEAU = DOWN

Sure, Reneau has yet again proven himself as a steady source of dominance down low. But unfortunately he has been unable to resolve his continued fight with foul trouble (4 fouls in 7 of the team’s 15 games this season). And while he is certainly proud of his teammates for prevailing without him, his absence in today’s victory does not bode well for his case.

OUMAR BALLO = UP

Aside from some sloppy turnovers here and there throughout the first half of the year, Ballo has been everything this team wanted him to be and arguably more. Since returning from a one-game hiatus in the team’s 2024 finale, he has put up 2x monster double-doubles (combined 42 points and 25 rebounds) against Rutgers and PSU. His presence in the paint has been instrumental in this team’s (moderate) success this season.

GABE CUPPS = DOWN

With so much incoming talent in the backcourt/on the wing, it was always going to be tough for Cupps to carve out a consistent role this year after a subtly solid freshman campaign. Unfortunately, he found himself on the outside of the rotation looking in very early on before a meniscus injury put him on the shelf for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season. Hopefully the young guard can bounce back next season in a big way. Keep choppin’, Gabe!

KANAAN CARLYLE = DOWN

It should be safe to say that Kanaan Carlyle has been the biggest disappointment for this entire team thus far. His defensive tenacity at the point of attack has been an extremely pleasant surprise, but his inability to find the bottom of the bucket on the other end has led to an increasingly dwindling role within the rotation (played just 8 minutes today).

BRYSON TUCKER = DOWN

Tucker has had some nice moments this year, but has struggled mightily offensively as he continues to adapt to the uptick in competition at the collegiate level (has hit only 1x 3-pointer and is shooting a putrid 37.5% overall from the floor). Nobody should be panicking, as he just needs some time to properly acclimate himself to this landscape. We still have a firm belief in his ability to grow into a big time player for this program.

LUKE GOODE = UP

Now that his outside shot is starting to drop at a more Goode-esque rate (3-5 from deep in each of the last 2x games), Luke Goode might be a fixture in the starting lineup. But regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, this team all caps NEEDS him to continue stroking shots confidently and consistently.

LANGDON HATTON = UP

Hatton is never going to confuse anyone for a star, but he has made a positive impact in the moments when his team has needed him to. Most notably, his performance in the December 29th win over Winthrop (7 points | 11 rebounds | 3 blocks) should have instilled a heightened sense of trust in turning to him when necessary from his coaching staff.

JAKAI NEWTON = DOWN

There have been a few glimpses of greatness from Newton when he has been on the court this season. The problem is, he has only been on the court for a total of 14 minutes across 3 games played. His rehabilitation from his previous knee problems will be an ongoing process, and the hope is that the Hoosiers will get him back to full strength ASAP.

ANTHONY LEAL = UP

The entire country came to know Leal after his jaw-dropping buzzer beater in the win over Rutgers, but the Hoosier faithful have long known about his ability to hit outside bombs. He may not hoist at a high volume, but he usually connects when he does decide to chuck (now 2-4 from deep this season after sinking 9-19 from the great beyond in 2023-2024). NOW HE JUST NEEDS TO SHOOT THE DAMN BALL MORE!

DALLAS JAMES = DOWN

The next time that Dallas James steps on the court for Indiana will actually be his first minutes as a Hoosier. The transfer from South Carolina State has yet to play a single second this season, but his 7’ frame makes him a nice break-in-case-of-emergency option for Woodson to look to for frontcourt support if the situation calls for it.