Good news for Indiana Hoosiers: He is back..
Before it’s too late, Mike Woodson hopes “The Old X” reassembles itself.
For more than a year, Xavier Johnson has struggled with a variety of injuries that have hindered his progress both individually and as a team. Coach Mike Woodson gambled on him this year because he has struggled to return to his best self when well. Prior to his time running out, Johnson is making one more push.
This week, Indiana coach Mike Woodson has referred to his players as “soul searching” on several occasions.
With three straight losses, the Hoosiers’ season is about to take a drastic turn. Indiana has no Quad 1 victories going into Saturday’s 3 p.m. ET tipoff at Illinois; 29 teams overall have at least three, and Purdue and UConn have seven.
Before the matchup, which is the first of the last 12 Big Ten games, they will have had a seven-day break to regroup. Turning things around would require a team effort, as indicated by Malik Reneau’s remarks that the squad felt “disconnected” on the court after the Wisconsin game. However, senior point guard Xavier Johnson may be the most introspective of them all given how his injuries have plagued Indiana the past two seasons.
Woodson remarked, “He’s had a few good practice days, and I’m just going to keep encouraging him and hopefully we’ll get the old X back.” “Because we’re going to need him as we travel through the Big Ten on this journey.”
Johnson suffered a broken foot against Kansas on December 17, 2022, which caused him to miss all but 11 games of the previous season. Johnson was awarded a sixth year of eligibility and a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA.
Because of the way its squad was assembled going into the season, Indiana required Johnson to lead the offense and serve as the team’s first defensive point of attack, just like he did in his debut season.
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