Indiana's Robert Johnson will not play in tomorrow's matchup against Illinois, per a report from AllHoosiers.com's Justin Albers.
Robert Johnson will not play tomorrow night at Illinois (left ankle sprain). #iubb
— Justin Albers (@Justin_Albers) February 24, 2016
Johnson is averaging 8 points a game and 3 assists on the 2016 for the Hoosiers. He'll likely be replaced in the starting lineup by Illinois native Nick Zeisloft, and fellow Illinois native & freshman walk-on Harrison Niego will likely see significant minutes. And, as we wrote previously, this might not be a bad idea.
Illinois is no pushover, and the Building Formerly Also Known As Assembly Hall has been a house of horrors for Indiana over the years. Still, the Illini have only beaten one team (Hi, Purdue!) that isn't Minnesota or Rutgers. It wouldn't be a terrible time for Johnson to be rest to be fully healthy for the two-game stretch against Iowa & Maryland -- and then the Big Ten tournament shortly thereafter.
Who would slide in for Johnson's absence in the starting lineup? Those minutes would likely go to Nick Zeisloft -- an Illinois native that started his career less than an hour from Champaign at Illinois State. It'd be Zeisloft's final career game in his home state, and one would think the La Grange native would be more than up for an opportunity to fill Johnson's role on the road against the Illini
You can check out our full preview for tomorrow's matchup at Illinois right here.