Indiana basketball releases injury report ahead of matchup with Maryland

The Indiana basketball program hits the hardwood for game number seven of the 2023-24 season on Friday night and released its official injury report this afternoon.

The Big Ten began with its weekly availability report for football this season and announced that it would be conducting the same schedule with basketball. It was announced that programs will have to release their injury reports three hours before tip.

For Indiana, its injury report listed guard Xavier Johnson and Malik Reneau as questionable.

Johnson exited Indiana’s win over Harvard on Sunday shortly before halftime. He tried warming up before the second half but was unable to go.

He is averaging 10.5 points, 2.3 assists and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field in six games this year. He is tied for the team-lead in three-point shooting at 5-of-10 this year.

“We’re still evaluating X to see where he is. If he can’t play, it’s the next man up,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said on Thursday. “That’s how it’s always been here. Injuries are part of the game. You know, nothing you can do about it. If he can’t play, then I expect somebody else to step up and play.”

Reneau left Indiana’s game against Harvard early in the second half with a back issue. He did return and play through it.

Related: Mike Woodson previews Indiana basketball Big Ten opener

Reneau has had a terrific start to his sophomore season. He’s averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 assists per game.

“He’ll be ready to play,” Woodson said of Reneau this week. “The difference is he put the time in this summer. His body has changed. It’s not the same body he came in as a freshman. We thought we trimmed him down. He trimmed down even more and put the work in this summer, and it’s paying off.

“That’s what young players have to do. They have work in the summer to get ready for the upcoming season and put time in on the floor. That’s the only way you’re going to get better, and he’s done that.”

The other scholarship player listed on the injury report is Jakai Newton, a four-star freshman who had knee surgery this offseason to clean up a previous surgery he had last winter. He continues to be out for the foreseeable future.

“He’s starting to move around a little bit. He ran a little bit on the treadmill. He’s been able to come out and walk through and hasn’t done a whole lot of the walk-through stuff but the stretching and the warm-up stuff prior to us actually getting going on the court,” Woodson said. ” … I think he’s moving in the right direction. How quickly he comes back, only time will tell. And then we’ve got to make a decision on what we’re going to do with him; is he healthy enough to play when he comes back? If not, then you might have to think about redshirting and things of that nature.

“We haven’t even talked about that. But, I mean, that’s on the back burner if that may occur. So we’ve just got to let nature take its course.”

Indiana faces Maryland at 7:00 pm ET on BTN.

SEE ALSO: Early returns are in and Indiana basketball is reaping the benefits from its young but talented front court

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.