Champaign, Ill. - Mackenzie Mgbako came to Bloomington touted as an elite three-level scorer with a gaping whole in his game on the defensive end of the floor. If I would've said a few weeks ago that Mgbako played one of his best games as a Hoosier and only scored 12 points, nobody would've believed me.
The five-star freshman "didn't know any defensive rotations" when he committed to the Hoosiers over the summer. A few months later and Mgbako just turned in one of his most impressive performances of the season in a game he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.
Mgbako finished with 12 points on 4-14 shooting from the floor against Illinois. For the first time in over a month, the freshman failed to knock down a shot from behind the 3-point arc throughout the entire game. Despite those offensive struggles, Mgbako turned in one if his best performances to date on Saturday in a 70-62 road loss versus No. 10 Illinois.
The freshman didn't have it going offensively on Saturday, but Mgbako did a lot of the little things to help his team stay in the game. Mgbako recorded his first career double-double, snaring a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with his 12 points. The 12 boards Mgbako pulled down against the Illini are a career-high for him. Half of the New Jersey native's points on Saturday inside the State Farm Center came off of second chance opportunities that he created himself.
"Tonight you saw a guy that was relentless, he rebounded for us and he made tough shots inside," Mike Woodson said postgame. "I'm happy with Mackenzie, I just think he's going to continue to grow and get better as the games go along. I like his work ethic, in practice he gives you what he's got."
Mgbako gave the Hoosiers what he had on Saturday, turning in not only his best performance on the boards this season, but one of his best defensive games of the year too. It didn't show up in the box score, as Mgbako finished with one block and no steals. However, the freshman looked comfortable throughout the game defensively.
"I'm a lot more comfortable," Mgbako said of his defensive game. ""Knowing where I need to be at on defense, that's most definitely the biggest thing."
"It's just preparation," the freshman continued, shifting the focus to the team as a whole defensively. "We prepared very well going into this game and it showed. We didn't come out with the win, but I feel like our defense was on point today."
This season, Indiana is allowing opponents to score an average of 74.1 points per game. On Saturday, Indiana held No. 10 Illinois to 70, nearly 13 points below the Illini's season average that ranks third in the Big Ten.
The Illini boast one of the best offenses in the country. Entering Saturday afternoon's matchup with the Hoosiers, the Illini ranked seventh in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. Indiana was able to suppress that offensive firepower throughout most of the game on Saturday.
The Hoosiers held the Illini to 37% shooting from the floor, 10% below their season average for the season. Illinois, a team that was averaging 82.7 points per game this season coming into Saturday's Big Ten clash with Indiana, scored just 70.
"I thought we played a great defensive game," Woodson said. "I thought we were solid all the way through (the game). But when you're on the road, you have to do almost everything right to come out with the win. We just didn't make the plays coming down the stretch."
One of the biggest propellents for Indiana's strong game defensively was Mgbako.
"He didn't know any defensive rotations," Woodson said, referring to Mgbako when he first arrived on campus over the summer. "He's still struggling to guard his man when he's in a 1-on-1 position off the bounce. That will come, I just think he needs more reps at it. Sometimes you have to fail to be successful. From a defensive standpoint, he still has a way to go, but he's gotten better."
The young Mgbako is blossoming into a better and better two-way player right in front of our eyes. From looking lost and clueless at times on the defensive end earlier this season, Mgbako has now become a key piece to the Hoosiers' defensive success.
Mgbako is no longer a player that can only impact the game with his scoring. Against Illinois, it was his defense and rebounding that made the biggest impressions on the game.
As the season pushes onward, Mgbako will only continue to evolve into a more well-rounded player.
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