Mike Woodson provides injury updates ahead of Indiana basketball exhibition

Indiana basketball finally gets back on the floor at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for their first of two exhibition games as they host the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds.

When speaking to the media on Friday morning, the Indiana basketball head coach provided a few key injury updates ahead of the Hoosiers’ first exhibition. For the majority, everyone on the Indiana roster seems to be healthy, expect for a couple of underclassman.

“Everybody is healthy except right now Kaleb Banks and Jakai (Newton),” Woodson said. “Those two guys won’t play on Sunday. I mean, Banks could play if I wanted to play him, but I’m just — this groin thing, I’ve dealt with players that had groin pulls, and those and calf pulls, things like that is nagging, and if you don’t watch it closely and rehab right, it could be a problem all season.”

While it was expected that Jakai Newton would not play due to his offseason season surgery he had on his knee, the Banks’s injury news was a little bit of a surprise. According to Mike Woodson, the sophomore wing is dealing with a groin pull that has sidelined him the past few weeks of practice.

“Right now Kaleb has been kind of hampered with a groin pull, so he’s kind of been on the sideline the last week and a half,” Woodson said. “We’re kind of gradually bringing him back slowly because that’s something that can be nagging all year, and I don’t need that. I need him healthy and ready to go. I don’t know if we’ll play him on Sunday.”

“I’m going to need Kaleb Banks, so we might not play him on Sunday for sure.”

As far as everyone else on the Indiana basketball roster, everyone is expected to suit up.

Indiana basketball tips off its preseason on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm on BTN+. It has two exhibition games before the regular season gets Sunday on November 7 at home against Florida Gulf Coast.