COLUMBUS, Ohio — Indiana men’s basketball will be without four players when it tips off at 8 p.m. Friday against Ohio State inside Value City Arena in Columbus.
The Hoosiers ruled out their leading scorer, junior forward Malik Reneau, and freshman forward Bryson Tucker in the pre-game availability report issued Friday evening.
Indiana will also be down walk-on senior guard Jackson Creel and sophomore guard Gabe Cupps, who’s out indefinitely with a torn meniscus. Creel hasn’t played this season, while Cupps last appeared Nov. 29 against Providence College.
Reneau, who’s averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, has missed
the last four games with a knee injury suffered Jan. 2 against Rutgers. Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after Tuesday’s 94-69 loss to Illinois he was hopeful Reneau would return soon.
Tucker’s absence had no forewarning. The 6-foot-7, 207-pound wing played 17 minutes off the bench against Illinois, scoring 4 points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field. He’s played in all 18 games thus far, averaging 18.4 minutes per game — the most among those without at least one start.
Ohio State will also be shorthanded. The Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, sophomore forward Devin Royal, won’t play Friday night. Royal averages 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who scores 9.1 points per game, also won’t play.
The Hoosiers (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten) each enter Friday night’s contest hoping to snap two-game losing streaks.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
