What’s up with Ratliff?

COLUMBUS, Ohio – IU coach Kelvin Sampson said after IU’s 59-53 win against Ohio State that he and senior guard A.J. Ratliff need to figure out what is best for Ratliff in regards to his future on the IU men’s basketball team.\nRatliff has not traveled with the team to the past two games and was dealing with “personal issues.”\nAfter the Ohio State game, Sampson clarified that Ratliff’s issues are not disciplinary or academic, but added that the personal issues have been really hard on him.\nSampson said he hoped to meet with Ratliff early next week to try to plan the best course of action.\nRatliff was academically ineligible for the first nine games of the season and missed the 10th, 11th and 12th games because of an ankle injury. Since then, he has seen limited time in IU’s lineup, averaging 1.7 points per game in 11.3 minutes per game. He has not started in any of the nine games in which he has played.