The wait for the return of Xavier Johnson will continue into 2024.
The sixth-year guard is not expected to play on Friday evening when the Hoosiers host Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. ET (BTN Plus).
Jeff Goodman reported the news first for The Messenger.
Sources tell The Daily Hoosier Johnson has returned to practice but has not fully progressed to game readiness.
Kennesaw State will present challenges for a shorthanded IU backcourt. The Owls have the second fastest offensive tempo in the nation and force turnovers on 20.5 percent of possessions when they are on defense.
Johnson also missed the Kennesaw State game last December, and Indiana struggled to pull away. He suffered a broken right foot and missed the final 24 games of the 2022-23 campaign. The Virginia product was granted a medical hardship waiver to play a sixth-year of college basketball.
The 6-foot-3 Johnson is averaging 10.5 points, 2.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds over six games this season.
Johnson suffered a left foot area injury in November. He has not played since the first half of the Harvard game on Nov. 26.
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