Has the absence of Malik Reneau made Oumar Ballo better? Many of Ballo’s successful plays feature him in motion, with or without Reneau on the floor.

The Trojans take an early 10-point lead, but the former Arizona standout powers his way to 23 points as the Hoosiers prevail, 82-69, and drop the Trojans to 1-3 in Big Ten play.

Oumar Ballo flexed his biceps, shrugged his shoulders and bumped his chest with senior forward Luke Goode — while putting perhaps the final dagger in USC’s hopes of pulling a road upset.

With Malik Reneau on the shelf due to a right knee injury, Indiana needs Oumar Ballo to play like the dominant big man he's proven to be at times this

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball center Oumar Ballo was not in the starting lineup for Thursday night's game against Rutgers, but was available to come off the bench. The Hoosiers (10-3; 1-1 Big Ten) started Luke Goode in Ballo's place for a second straight game.

Indiana will be without junior power forward and leading scorer Malik Reneau for Sunday's game against Penn State at the Palestra.

In Ballo’s absence, senior center Langdon Hatton, who entered Sunday averaging just 4.4 minutes per contest, played for a season-high 26 minutes and notched 7 points and 11 rebounds.

Oumar Ballo powered his way to 23 points and Indiana overcame an early double-digit deficit to beat USC 82-69 Wednesday.