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Mike Woodson comments on injury status of Xavier Johnson prior to Tuesday bout vs. Iowa
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Indiana has missed the services of point guard Xavier Johnson all season long. Sure, his absence allowed Jalen Hood-Schifino to flourish, but the Hoosiers could desperately use the depth that Johnson provides as the team heads into March.
Johnson has been hurt since mid-December and has missed 18 straight games after undergoing surgery on his foot. The Hoosiers expect him back at some point this season, but according to Mike Woodson that “some point” will not be Tuesday against Iowa.
He addressed Johnson’s injury Monday afternoon:
Mike Woodson says Xavier Johnson won’t play Tuesday vs. Iowa. “Then, we’ll see and gauge it on Sunday. We’ll see where he is.” #iubb
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) February 28, 2023
Indiana only has 2 more games remaining in the regular season, but their current seed in the B1G tournament is wildly unknown. Long story short, the Hoosiers need a win to avoid potentially falling in the seeding due to a logjam of teams fighting for high middle seeds in the tournament.
What does Johnson bring IU?
A lot, to put it lightly.
Johnson is one of the team’s top 3-point shooters and scorers when healthy. He also can provide some much needed rest for Hood Schifino, a freshman that has exceeded expectations but is still very much a freshman looking to lead his team against 67 others in just a few weeks.
Johnson’s experience is also incredibly important to Indiana. He’s played 5 years of college basketball, 3 with Pitt and 2 with Indiana. That’s the type of player you’d like to have healthy heading into the most important few weeks of the season.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.