Injuries are hitting the Hoosiers hard. Who could Indiana turn to?

The injury bug has hit Bloomington pretty hard in recent weeks.

By Auston Matricardi Nov 22, 2018, 9:00am EST

UT-Arlington v Indiana — Ahh the pain of only having six rotation players available

Indiana has a problem. They’re sitting at 4-1 on the season with plenty of reason for excitement, but recently they’ve faced a rash of injuries that cut the rotation of one of the deepest teams in the nation to six players on Tuesday night against UT-Arlington. The Hoosiers won that game, of course, but it was pretty ugly and not hard to tell that if they had been taking on a better team that they would’ve been in big trouble. All in all, Jerome Hunter, Race Thompson, Devonte Green, Zach McRoberts, De’Ron Davis, and Al Durham are dealing with some kind of knock.

So Archie Miller might have to turn to a few other options to help bolster the IU rotation:

Clifton Moore

NCAA Basketball: Indiana at Michigan State

The big man’s potential was his primary asset coming into Bloomington last year and...well...it still is. At one point the Pennsylvania native was projected as a possible lotto pick, but he hasn’t seen the floor very often for the Hoosiers. As a freshman he played in nine games, this season he’s appeared in three games, but he’s yet to prove that he can live up to the hype despite some flashes here or there. Maybe he can get some run and show that he isn’t just Tim Priller with recruiting hype.

Jake Forrester

NCAA Basketball: Montana State at Indiana

Another big man from Pennsylvania,the freshman was a three-star recruit coming out of high school but he hasn’t been on the floor as much as classmates Romeo Langford and Rob Phinisee. In total, he’s played 13 minutes across three games, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds. The longer that Davis and Thompson remain out of action, the more you’d think that one of these two guys will be called upon to give IU some minutes.

Johnny Jager

NCAA Basketball: Chicago State at Indiana

Another Hoosier that’s seen limited opportunities on the floor, the former Bloomington South and Wabash star could possibly fill some minutes for Miller and let Rob Phinisee catch a breather every now and then. He’d just need to play defense and pass the ball, can’t be too hard right?

Jimmy Chitwood

He’s probably still hanging around the state somewhere after leading Hickory to a state championship. Who cares that he’s like 82 years old now? He probably still has some NCAA eligibility and shooting doesn’t age. Beggars can’t be choosers, suit him up.

Armaan Franklin

He’s already signed his National Letter of Intent and is showing out against high school competition for Cathedral. Plan an early graduation ceremony, run him through some drills, and let him go.

Emmitt Holt

Why not see if a familiar face wants to make a return to Bloomington? Somehow Emmitt Holt still has NCAA eligibility and he probably has some sort of degree considering that he’s a redshirt senior at Providence. Call it a grad transfer and get him back to Indiana.

The Bison

Bring him back! Indiana needs him now more than ever, and not just on the sidelines! Get him a tiny trampoline and watch him fly!

This Fern

He’d play better defense than James Blackmon Jr. amirite?