Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson feels the frontcourt tandem of Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware has been carrying the load for the team so far.

Mike Woodson made the honest assessment after Indiana basketball's 78-75 win over Big Ten rival Michigan on Tuesday.

“Woodson on Peacock postgame, on Reneau and Ware: ‘They've been carrying us this young season so far. I've got to get our perimeter play up to speed,'” per IndianaHQ.

Kel'el Ware, a 19-year-old transfer from Oregon, made the biggest plays down the stretch for Indiana basketball.

Ware, a wiry seven-footer, scored on a hook shot in the lane to break a 73-all deadlock with 55.8 seconds left in the game. He deflected and stole Will Tschetter's full-court pass attempt in the dying seconds to seal Indiana's seventh victory in eight games.

Kel'el Ware and Malik Reneau have led the charge for Indiana basketball 

On the other hand, sophomore power forward Malik Reneau led Indiana with 15 points on Tuesday. Ware finished the game with 13 points. Reneau and Ware have picked up the slack nicely for Trayce Jackson-Davis, who left the program and declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. Jackson-Davis currently plays for the Golden State Warriors.

Kel'el Ware has shown remarkable improvement from last season. He averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 35 games for Oregon in 2022.

Ware has become a focal point of the offense at Indiana. He has been averaging 17.7 points, 9.6 rebonds, and 1.6 blocks through Indiana basketball's first seven games.

Malik Reneau has also been a revelation for Mike Woodson in the 2023 NCAA season. Reneau averaged 6.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.3 block as a true freshman coming off the bench last year.

The sophomore power forward has been averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks for Indiana basketball this year.

Like Mike Woodson said, Ware and Reneau have been the main reasons why Indiana basketball is off to a fast start this season. Expect that trend to continue moving forward.