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Mike Woodson updates injury status of Indiana basketball center Kel’el Ware, who missed practice on Wednesday

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Indiana basketball
Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson provided a small update on the injury status of center Kel'el Ware. (Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)

Indiana basketball earned its first Quad 1 win of the season on Tuesday against Ohio State but it didn’t come without some potential consequences.

With three seconds left in the second half, Indiana center Kel’el Ware went up for an open layup but lost the ball half way up when his knee buckled on him. It was an awkward sequence for the 7-footer.

He was subbed out after but eventually did walk on his own to the locker room.

On Thursday, Mike Woodson provided an update on the status of Ware heading into the weekend.

“Well, we had to give him the day off yesterday (Wednesday), so he basically went through treatment,” Woodson said. “I’ll know more today when we practice to see where he is.”

Ware is averaging 14.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season for Indiana. He’s also shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from three.

He has consistently been one of the strongest and most effective players on the floor — on both ends.

He has nine double-doubles in 20 games this season, including scoring in double-figures in 16 games.

In Big Ten play alone, Ware is averaging 14.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Ware is a projected first-round draft pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after transferring to Indiana from Oregon.

His consistency and, in turn, increased production has led to his raise in draft stock.

“From where he was, man, he’s come a long way,” Woodson said earlier this year. “It’s kind of nice to see because a lot of people just didn’t expect that because he hadn’t played.

“Well, it’s the second effort. When we first got him, that didn’t even exist in terms of him making second and third efforts to try to go get the basketball. A lot of it was he just hadn’t been taught and pushed to do it. I mean, it’s like night and day from the time we got him to where he is today in terms of going hard and understanding that you just can’t take possessions off.”

Indiana faces No. 2 Purdue on Saturday — a rematch from IU’s 21-point loss earlier this season at home.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball guard Xavier Johnson ‘out indefinitely’ with elbow injury

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Alec Lasley is the owner of Hoosier Illustrated, a comprehensive site covering news, updates and recruiting for Indiana University athletics. Alec has covered Indiana for six years and is a credentialed media member. He has previously worked for both Rivals and 247Sports.

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