The Indiana basketball program hits the hardwood for game number 18 of the 2023-24 season on Friday night and released its official injury report this afternoon.
The Big Ten began with its weekly availability report for football this season and announced that it would be conducting the same schedule with basketball. It was announced that programs will have to release their injury reports three hours before tip.
For Indiana, its injury report listed guard Anthony Leal is out. No other players were on the injury report.
For Anthony Leal, it’s the second straight game he was listed on the injury report but the first time as officially inactive.
Despite playing limited minutes all season, he’s had valuable minutes when he’s been on the floor. In seven appearances, Leal has averaged 8.1 minutes per game.
His most impactful segment came against Kennesaw State earlier this season. Indiana watched a 13-point first-half lead turn into a four-point deficit thanks to a 44-29 run over a 15-minute segment. Leal provided a much needed spark.
“He’s had a really great week of practice,” Woodson said postgame. “After the break, he came back, and I thought his two days of practice, he deserved to play more. And I just decided to play him. And he gave us a hell of a spark when he came in. I mean, just from a defensive standpoint. He did a lot of things that we didn’t do early in that spot.”
“He definitely had a spark off the bench,” IU forward Malik Reneau added postgame. “He came in with so much energy, it just rejuvenated us, I’ll say, and got us back to what we needed to do on the court, and we got stops.”
On the season, Leal is averaging just 1.7 points per game.
Malik Reneau, Xaiver Johnson and Payton Sparks had all been listed as questionable over the last week but are fully healthy entering Tuesday’s game.
Indiana basketball faces Purdue on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm ET on Peacock.
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