The loss of sophomore guard and second-leading scorer James Blackmon Jr. at the beginning of the Big Ten season didn’t keep IU from climbing to the top of the conference standings.
But now the question is whether the Hoosiers can sustain another blow to their backcourt — and they might have to find out tonight.
Sophomore guard Robert Johnson left Saturday’s game against Purdue with what IU Coach Tom Crean later called “a definite ankle sprain.” Johnson had to be carried off the court, and he didn’t return during the game, which was a win over the Boilermakers.
As of Wednesday afternoon, whether or not Johnson would play tonight at Illinois was a “game-time decision,” according to an IU spokesperson.
On his radio show, Crean didn’t give a definite timetable for Johnson’s return.
“We’re just going to have to continue to monitor it,” Crean said. “It’s not like we’re going to be able to update it constantly. It’s going to be evaluated over time. There’s no way to predict injuries, let alone an ankle sprain.”
Although he isn’t one of IU’s leading scorers, Johnson has been a constant on the defensive end and has often been praised by Crean for doing little things to help the team, whether it’s finding his open teammates or getting guard rebounds.
Losing Johnson, who averages 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, means
losing a starter and another member of IU’s backcourt.
It leaves senior guards Yogi Ferrell and Nick Zeisloft and freshman guard Harrison Niego as the only available guards who have earned significant playing time this season.
Outside of using Zeisloft as Johnson’s replacement in the lineup, Crean will likely look to either freshman forward OG Anunoby or senior forward Max Bielfeldt, both of whom have played efficient minutes off the bench.
Johnson’s absence may limit the Hoosiers from spreading the defense, and it leaves one less shooter for the Illini to worry about.
However, this isn’t the worst-case scenario for IU, who beat Illinois 103-69 when the two teams met Jan. 19 in Assembly Hall. If Johnson doesn’t play, it’s an opportunity for him to rest before potentially playing in two more important games.
Next week, No. 18 IU finishes the regular season against No. 8 Iowa and No. 10 Maryland.
The way those games play out will determine who wins the Big Ten and how seeding will fall for the upcoming conference tournament.
After the Purdue game Saturday, Ferrell was asked about Johnson’s injury.
His answer echoed what seemed to work after the Hoosiers lost Blackmon — they completed a 12-game winning streak and started 7-0 in Big Ten play.
“(It’s) just the next man stepping up,” Ferrell said.
