Oumar Ballo, the top men’s basketball player in the transfer portal, has decided to take his talents to the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season.
Jeff Borzello of ESPN just reported that Ballo is transferring to Indiana.
“Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo — the No. 1 player in the portal — has committed to Indiana, he told ESPN,” Borzello wrote on X.
This is a huge get for Indiana’s basketball program. Florida, Kansas State, Louisville and North Carolina expressed interest in Ballo once he entered the transfer portal.
Ballo was a stud at Arizona this past season, averaging 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Not only did he average a double-double for Arizona, he was very efficient from the field, knocking down 65.8 percent of his field goal attempts.
The Hoosiers, on the other hand, are coming off a down year. They went 19-14 and missed out on March Madness.
So, why would Indiana be an intriguing landing spot for Ballo? For starters, Mike Woodson has proven he can help college players develop into pros. Just look at his work with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Of course, we also can’t forget that Indiana has such rich history. Perhaps that was enticing to Ballo.
Ballo has one year of eligibility remaining. We’ll see if he can lead Indiana back to the NCAA Tournament.