Indiana men’s basketball has landed a big transfer portal target — literally.
The Hoosiers received a commitment Tuesday from 7-foot, 260-pound redshirt senior center Oumar Ballo, according to On3 Sports insider Joe Tipton on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ballo, a first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive team selection this past season at the University of Arizona, was rated as the No. 1 player in the transfer portal by 247sports.
Indiana hosted Ballo for an official visit April 14-16, one of five visits the 21-year-old initially scheduled. The University of Louisville, Kansas State University, the University of Florida and University of North Carolina were also in the race to land his services.
Ballo has started all 71 games he’s played across the past two seasons, averaging 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game during that span. In 2023-24, Ballo averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 65.8% from the field and logging 20 double-doubles.
A native of Koulikoro, Mali, Ballo started his career at Gonzaga University, where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2019-20 and played only 6.3 minutes per game across 24 appearances the year after.
Ballo transferred to Arizona after the 2020-21 season, spending the next three campaigns in Tuscon. He arrives in Bloomington with one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the Hoosiers, Ballo figures to fill the void in the starting lineup left by 7-foot center Kel’el Ware, who declared for the draft March 26.
Ballo is Indiana’s second transfer portal addition this spring, joining former Washington State University guard Myles Rice.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball offseason.
