Indiana basketball finished its preseason on Friday night with a 106-64 win over Marian, and while come off the roster was back to full health — one player was missing from the floor. Sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle was the lone Hoosier to sit Friday’s win out.
Earlier in the week, head coach Mike Woodson said that Carlyle was dealing with an injury he suffered in the Tennessee exhibition. Following IU’s win on Friday night, Woodson elaborated a bit on the injury.
“He’s got some bruised ribs,” Woodson said about Carlyle. “He took a shot in the Tennessee game, and so we just kind of are nursing him back and taking it a day at a time. I mean, eventually he’ll be back on the floor.”
Carlyle played 31 minutes and had five points on 2-of-7 shooting with three rebounds and four assists against the Vols.
“Kanaan is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands with the length and skillset to create scoring chances for himself and others,” Woodson said when Carlyle signed with Indiana basketball. “His ability of the bounce pairs nicely with his shooting stroke. His length, quickness, and mentality give him the capability to be a high-impact defender for our ballclub.”
During his freshman season with Stanford Carlyle averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
After missing the first month of his freshman season, he made an immediate impact when he returned to the floor. He scored in double-figures 15 times, including two 20-point games and one 31-point outing.
“He’s an unbelievable scorer. At his size, he’s 6-2, 6-3, he can put it up with the best of them,” IU guard — and childhood friend — Myles Rice said at Big Ten Media Day. “I’ve seen it when I was younger and then last year … his focus and attention to detail is what doesn’t gt as much praise as it should.
Indiana basketball has its season-opener on Wednesday against SIUE at 8:00 pm ET.
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.
Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.