Mike Woodson says Bryson Tucker can ‘still help us’ despite recent absence from lineup for Indiana basketball

Indiana basketball had been relatively healthy with its key rotation players for the majority of the season up until the last few weeks and that includes freshman wing Bryson Tucker. A regular part of the rotation, Tucker has now not seen the floor in three straight games.

After missing the Ohio State game with a finger issue, Tucker dressed and went through warmups ahead of Indiana’s matchup with Northwestern but did not see the floor. He again did not see any action in Indiana’s loss to Maryland on Sunday despite not being listed on the injury report.

Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson was asked about his five-star freshman during Monday’s ‘Inside Indiana Basketball Show’ with Don Fischer.

“I’ve sat and talked with Bryson,” Woodson told Fischer. “We’ll figure out some things with Bryson because I think he can still help us. I have to put him back in the best position to help us as well.”

Tucker has appeared in 18 games this year, averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.4 minutes a game. He’s shooting just 37.9 percent from the floor and is 1-of-16 from three.

Tucker got off to a quick start in his IU career, scoring in double-digits in two of his first four games. After that, he reached 10 points in just one of the last 14 games. However, he had scored nine points in four of the previous seven games before his absence from the lineup.

“He’s a young freshman that has got a nice skillset and especially on both ends of the floor,” IU head coach Mike Woodson said earlier this season. “He’s long and athletic and he handles the ball. He can score the ball. He can do a lot of things. But he’s got to learn the college game, and he’s young at it right now and we’ve just got to keep pushing him in the right direction.”

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