‘He had a man’s game’: Indiana basketball takes down Wisconsin behind dominant performance from Kel’el Ware

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In an odd game that included a full evacuation of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall due to fire alarms, Indiana basketball took down Wisconsin 74-70 on Tuesday night.

A dominant performance by Kel’el Ware led the way as Indiana basketball snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 15-13 on the season.

“That locker room is very happy right now,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “When you go through a stretch like that, I don’t wish that on anyone. Nobody likes to lose. Me being who I am, I hate losing. But there is a lot that comes with that, man. You got to stay patient.”

Ware, who was absent from the first meeting between Wisconsin and Indiana, made his presence felt in a big way from the opening tip. In the first half, Ware scored 20 points while shooting 9-of-10 from the field. He also added seven rebounds, and three blocks and the Hoosiers outscored the Badgers by nine with him on the floor.

“This win means a lot. It’s not even just about me,” Ware said postgame. “That whole team has just been, as y’all seen, on a little downhill. I feel like tonight we finally got over the hump everybody has been talking about.”

That “hump” has been talked about all season, especially during Indiana’s recent struggles. Coming into Tuesday night’s game, Indiana basketball had lost eight of its last ten games.

Ware may not take credit for the win, but he left his stamp on this game, finishing with a game-high 27 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five blocks in the win. His 11-of-12 shooting performance was his second best of the season, only behind a 12-of-13 performance against Harvard back in December when he set a career-high with 28 points.

“It was unbelievable. He had a man’s game. He really did,” Woodson said about Ware’s performance. “… Maybe we didn’t go to him enough, but he was fantastic tonight. We needed every bit of it in order to win this game.”

Ware’s connection with senior guard Trey Galloway was also on full display as Galloway finished with a game-high 12 assists including several lobs to Ware.

“We’re always on the same team in practice, so that helps when it comes to the game, just building that chemistry and learning each other and where to pass it and how to pass it and getting the ball to the right spot,” Ware said about his chemistry with Galloway.

Tuesday’s performance was Ware’s 12th double-double of the season and the eighth time he has eclipsed the 20-point mark as a Hoosier.

Ware has been one of the few bright spots for an otherwise disappointing season for Indiana basketball. His play this year has positioned him as a likely first-round draft pick according to most NBA mock drafts.

After transferring from Oregon, there were a ton of questions surrounding Ware’s work ethic coming into the season. Oregon head coach Dana Altman had publicly criticized Ware for his effort on multiple instances during his time in Eugene.

Ware has since answered every single question regarding his work ethic and effort with his play this season.

“I think when we brought him on board we didn’t know what we were going to get. Really didn’t,” Woodson said.”We knew he was very skilled and the word was that he didn’t work hard. I thought after the first month of us getting after him a little bit that kind of picked up and it was nice carryover into the season.”

While it has not always been easy, Ware has established himself as one of if not the best player on this Indiana team. Ware is averaging 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 25 games this season and his length has caused plenty of problems for opposing offenses at the rim. While the record may not show it, Ware has impacted the game in a plethora of ways throughout the season.

Ware has shown grit throughout the year as he has battled multiple injuries and fought through the physicality of Big Ten basketball. A 23-point, 10-rebound, and three-block performance on one leg in a win against Iowa earlier this season highlighted the toughness of the 19-year-old sophomore.

Ware who is a true 7-footer boasts a freakishly long wing span and has made himself a weapon above the rim on both ends of the court. His ability to finish lobs off the pick-and-roll has been a huge advantage in the half-court offense for Indiana basketball.

On the other end of the floor is where he makes his biggest impact. His ability to use his length to disrupt shots and corral rebounds has been critical to what Indiana wants to do on the defensive end.

While this will likely be his only season in Bloomington, Ware has surely shown he is every bit deserving of playing at the next level.

When Indiana basketball has played its best basketball, it has come with Ware on the floor and in the center of the action and tonight proved just that.

“Tonight was Indiana basketball at its best,” Woodson said.

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