Senior point guard Rob Phinisee will miss his sixth consecutive game due to injury.
The Lafayette, Ind. native suffered a plantar fascia injury in the Hoosiers 74-57 win over Penn State. Phinisee appeared to cut awkwardly and had to be helped off the court by his teammates. The hero of the Purdue game was wearing a walking boot and used a scooter to get around at first. But he ditched the boot before the Michigan State game.
This will be the 17th missed game of his career, but he will miss more.
“Well, he won’t be back anytime soon,” said head coach Mike Woodson on Saturday.
The Hoosiers may be further short-handed at the point guard position. Khristian Lander could miss the matchup against the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes. Lander has already missed a couple of games earlier this season as he battled with a leg injury.
“We didn’t have Khristian today, he’s out. And, there’s a chance he might not play,” added Woodson.
“So, we’re short-handed. But hey, there are plenty of other guys that’s wearing a uniform, guys that just got to step up, until those guys get back.”
Behind Xavier Johnson, the Hoosiers will have no true point guard if Lander is unavailable to play. As of late, Trey Galloway has filled in and operated as the backup point guard at times. He even started at the position against Northwestern when Johnson and Lander were suspended.
Woodson also noted Anthony Leal and Tamar Bates could receive added playing time. They might be also be asked to bring up the ball on occasion.
“They don’t press a lot,” Woodson said of Ohio State’s defense. “So, we got guards that can get the ball up the floor, but initiating the offense, getting us in our offense, and getting quick strikes when we do get them, they’re not used to doing that.”
“It is what it is. I can’t worry about the fact that we don’t have certain guys. We just got to mix-and-match and see what happens.”
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