Indiana men’s basketball’s win over Iowa on Tuesday may have been one of the Hoosiers’ most resilient performances of the season, but it also saw injuries to two key playmakers.
Sophomore forward Malik Reneau exited the game early in the first half with an ankle injury, and sixth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson sustained an elbow injury after landing awkwardly on his arm following a dunk attempt in the second half.
Friday morning, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said he is unsure about the status of Reneau and Johnson for the Hoosiers’ game against Penn State at noon Saturday at Assembly Hall.
“Right now, we’re still evaluating them,” Woodson said. “They didn’t do anything yesterday, so we’ll see if they’re on the floor to do something today.”
Losing one or both of them for Saturday would be a considerable blow. Reneau paces the team in scoring with 16 points per game, and Johnson — despite his rocky shooting performances — offers significant playmaking ability in Indiana’s backcourt.
Injuries have ravaged the Hoosiers this season. Johnson missed extended time after suffering a foot injury in late November, and sophomore center Kel’el Ware was recently sidelined for a pair of games with an ankle injury.
Ware returned against Iowa, logging 35 minutes and posting a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds while leading Indiana to a gritty victory. He grabbed his left leg on multiple occasions and fought through clear discomfort, though he said Friday afternoon he feels fully healthy.
“It’s been a struggle because we just haven’t had a full deck,” Woodson said. “I don’t know if we’re ever going to have one, to be honest with you. I don’t know what’s going to happen with X, and I don’t know how long Malik might be out, if he’s going to be out.”
Indiana won’t be the only team dealing with injuries to key players on Saturday. Penn State sophomore guard Kanye Clary is currently day-to-day after exiting a game against Minnesota on Jan. 27. Clary missed the ensuing game against Rutgers on Wednesday.
If Clary can’t suit up Saturday, the Nittany Lions’ offense will look drastically different. Clary leads Penn State in scoring with 18.4 points per game — the sixth-highest mark in the Big Ten.
Junior guard D’Marco Dunn, who transferred to Penn State from the University of North Carolina prior to this season, could be in line for an uptick in usage without Clary. Dunn made just his second start of the season against Rutgers, playing 22 minutes and pouring in 14 points.
Penn State’s offense hasn’t been particularly explosive this year, sitting roughly in the middle of the conference in scoring with 75.5 points per game. Still, it will have a tall task against a burgeoning Hoosier defense.
Indiana held then-No. 10 Illinois and Iowa — two of the top offensive attacks in the conference — to 70 and 68 points, respectively. After porous defensive outings against No. 2 Purdue and then-No. 11 Wisconsin, the Hoosiers have started to lock down.
Part of that starts with the return of Ware.
“There’s a 7-footer on our team that blocks shots and rebounds the ball,” Woodson said. “That makes a big difference for us …the other night against Iowa, having the big guy back, that helped. That’s why we brought him here.”
The Hawkeyes shot a pedestrian 27.3% from range on Wednesday, with five of their six makes coming from junior forward Payton Sandfort. Aside from Sandfort and senior guard Tony Perkins, Iowa mustered just 20 total points.
Against Illinois, the Hoosiers held senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. to 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, and Reneau got the better of senior forward Coleman Hawkins in a duel down low.
Without Reneau, Woodson deployed a guard-heavy lineup that saw some success. Senior guard Anthony Leal was the primary beneficiary, posting a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes.
If Reneau is sidelined Saturday, the Hoosiers could decide on a similar strategy. Regardless, Woodson said every player needs to be ready.
“That next-man mentality has got to stay in play,” Woodson said. “Guys that haven’t logged a lot of minutes, your number might be called, and you’ve got to be ready to play and step up and help us win basketball games.”
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
