BLOOMINGTON: Xavier Johnson, a sixth-year point guard who has started every game for Indiana when healthy, was left off of the Hoosiers’ opening five-man lineup on Friday night against Minnesota.
Following his dismissal for below-the-belt contact that resulted in a Flagrant 2 foul during IU’s midweek defeat at Rutgers, Johnson moved to the bench. Coach Mike Woodson started rookie Gabe Cupps in place of Johnson.
Following the incident on Tuesday, it was not immediately apparent if Johnson was receiving additional discipline from his coach. In his first game as head coach, Woodson benched five players, including Johnson, for undisclosed rule breaches during a loss at Northwestern. This was Johnson’s only previous game benched.
“Internal matters. After Friday’s victory over the Golden Gophers, Woodson declared, “I made the decision to go with Gabe.”
At 12:44 in the first half, Johnson entered the game.
Johnson is averaging 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in six games this season. Due to an unidentified lower-leg injury, the Virginia native missed more than seven games.
