With Kel’el Ware Being Sidelined, How Have the Indiana Hoosiers Performed in His Absence?

The Indiana Hoosiers center Kel’el Ware missed out on the game against the Kennesaw State Owls due to an illness as per Covers. It was a major setback for the Hoosiers since Ware has been their go-to player.

The Hoosiers though won the match and notched up the tally to 10-3 and currently occupy the first position in the Big Ten, nonetheless, Ware was missed for his height and the role he plays with the Hoosiers. He has been the second highest scorer for his team.

How has Ware performed?

His importance for the team can be adjudged from the fact that he has a whopping average of 14.9 points per game. Other than that he stands at the top position in his team in rebounds average with 8.9 rebounds per contest. His defensive skills can also be ascertained from the fact that he has obstructed the highest blocks for his team with a tally of 18.

On the whole, Ware has performed remarkably for his team in the 12 games he has played. His season-high performance of 28 points came against the Harvard Crimson. The Hoosiers won that match by an 89-76 margin. He also nabbed 8 rebounds in the process.

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Other than that his exemplary performance of 22 points came against the Wright State Raiders. Ware also provides a decent shooter and has besotted 55.1% field goals percentage with 37.5% three-pointers percentage. 

Ware’s absence did not deter the Hoosiers from performing exceptionally. They did win and other players adjusted their roles in his absence.

A team without Ware

In his absence, the Hoosiers saw an unbelievable performance of 34 points with 11 rebounds per contest by their forward Malik Reneau. Reneau thus smashed the highest points in the game for his team. The supporting role was played by their forward Mackenzie Mgbako and guard Trey Galloway who soused 14 points each. 

In the game center Payton Sparks stepped up in place of Ware and smoked 10 points. He also had the second-highest rebounds in the contest with 8 rebounds. Their forward Anthony Walker complemented him by throttling an equal 10 points.

Overall, they used the conventional strategy of having an alpha along with supporting players at various parts of the game. The interesting thing to note is that both Walker and Sparks haven’t touched the double figures in average but in this game, they came out in what could be the best form of game.

The Hoosiers touched an exact 50 points in both the halves, while the Kennesaw State could only reach 46 and 41 respectively in both halves. The Hoosiers thus came out on top in the game but definitely missed Ware.

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Who knows they could have scored more points had Ware been in the team. The Hoosiers will next play against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and it remains to be seen if Ware will be fully fit to resume his role.