Indiana men’s basketball played without junior forward Malik Reneau and freshman forward Bryson Tucker due to injuries in the Hoosiers’ 77-76 victory over Ohio State on Jan. 17.
Reneau has missed the last five games due to a knee injury suffered Jan. 2 against Rutgers, while Tucker is dealing with an officially undisclosed ailment. Tucker wore a protective brace on his right pinkie finger while watching warmups before Indiana’s win over Ohio State, according to the The Herald-Times.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, who met with reporters Tuesday morning over Zoom, implied Reneau and Tucker are questionable for the Hoosiers’ 7 p.m. tipoff Wednesday against Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
"Well, a lot's going to depend on Malik today. He worked some yesterday,” Woodson said. “Tucker worked a little yesterday. So, I'll gauge it today. We got a 12 o’clock practice before we take off, so I'll get a better feel of where Malik and Bryson is at this point."
The 6-foot-9, 232-pound Reneau is the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.1 points and 5.9 boards per game. He trails sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo, who averages 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, in both categories.
Tucker, who plays 18.4 minutes per game as an important piece on the Hoosiers’ bench, is averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in his first collegiate season.
Without Reneau — and in a Dec. 29 victory over Winthrop University when Ballo didn’t play due to undisclosed reasons — senior forward Luke Goode entered Indiana’s starting lineup.
Across seven games as a starter, Goode has averaged 12 points and three rebounds per game while shooting 43.6% from 3-point range. He scored a career-high 23 points against the Buckeyes, capped by a game-winning triple with just over one minute remaining in overtime.
Once Reneau returns to the lineup, Woodson will have a decision to make about his starting five — and he’s still unsure what direction he’ll take.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, as far as (the starting lineup) is concerned,” Woodson said. “But Goode had some of the same looks early in the season that he was struggling to make, and he's found his rhythm. The other night he was bigger than ever.”
Woodson added he’s pleased with how Goode has played, and the Hoosiers need him to maintain this level of play moving forward — starting Wednesday night in Evanston, regardless of whether Reneau and Tucker suit up.
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.
