'Limited Depth': Indiana Men's Basketball Rules Out Several Players for Marian Exhibition

Indiana men's basketball coach Darian DeVries confirmed the Hoosiers will be shorthanded during their exhibition slate, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday against Marian University inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

In his press conference Thursday afternoon, DeVries said Indiana won't have three guards in freshman Aleksa Ristic and juniors Nick Dorn and Jason Drake due to injuries. Sophomore forward Josh Harris, who suffered a lower-body injury in practice at the end of September, has worn a boot on his foot and doesn't have a designated game status.

DeVries told reporters Oct. 9 at Big Ten Media Days that he expects "two or three" injuries to carry into the regular season, and "most of the guys" will return by early December.

Ristic, who sustained a lower-body injury at practice in September, and Drake, who didn't travel with the team during its three-game exhibition trip to Puerto Rico in mid-August and still hasn't practiced, are expected to be out for the first several weeks of the season.

"Unfortunately, both those guys are probably going to be out for a little while yet," DeVries said. "So, certainly not going to have them for the start of the season and probably a few weeks into it for sure, which does make it challenging. Those are two guys we're counting on to hopefully give us some minutes and some depth.

"And so, we got to be a little creative until the one or two of those guys get back and give us a little more flexibility with our lineups."

Dorn, who traveled with the team to Puerto Rico but didn't return to practice until September, only participated in non-contact periods during the Hoosiers' open-to-media practice Sept. 30.

DeVries said Dorn has started to "work his way back into some action," but Indiana doesn't anticipate him playing Friday, and he's "doubtful" to face Baylor in an exhibition Oct. 26 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

"We'll see where that leads, but we're certainly getting closer to getting him to full practice type stuff," DeVries said. "But we've still got a little bit of time to go there yet."

Indiana, which has 13 scholarship players, has been forced to adjust its practices.

The Hoosiers are still on the floor for their regularly scheduled 90-minute sessions, but DeVries said at Big Ten Media Day they've been "a little more careful" with how much up-and-down running the team does at practice. There's more drill work and three-on-three periods, and fewer five-on-five segments.

DeVries said the injuries have affected Indiana's rotations, too. Before Dorn, Ristic, Drake and Harris return to action, DeVries anticipates the Hoosiers playing "seven to eight guys," and as they grow healthier, he expects the number to extend up to nine or even 10 on certain nights.

"It's going to be challenging early, just with Nick making his way back, how quickly he can get back into that game conditioning and then also just for us to get a little feel for where to best utilize him and plug him in," DeVries said. "And the other two guys, they're going to be a while.

"So then, how quickly can they just get thrown in there and find their roles and be able to fit? So, those are things we don't know yet. Because of injuries, we're going to be a little bit limited on our depth right now."

The Hoosiers have nearly three weeks until they begin the regular season, as they'll face Alabama A&M at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.