Getty Indiana Hoosiers guard Romeo Langford
The Indiana Hoosiers wrapped up the college basketball regular season with disappointment after being left out of the 2019 NCAA Tournament field. But since heading to the NIT, they’ve looked good through the first two games and are one win away from the semifinals. As solid as their start to the postseason tournament has been, it’s even more impressive that they’ve picked up two wins without freshman Romeo Langford.
Entering as a No. 1 seed, the Hoosiers knocked off Saint Francis (PA) 89-72 and then took down No. 5 seed Arkansas 63-60. The two victories have set up a date with the surprise six-seed Wichita State Shockers for a chance to go New York City and finish the tournament at Madison Square Garden.
The big question for Indiana is whether Langford will suit up for Tuesday’s game as he’s dealing with a back injury. At this point, there hasn’t been much decided on his outlook, but we’ll breakdown the latest.
UPDATE: Langford has been ruled out for the game against Wichita State.
Latest on Romeo Langford’s Injury Status
As of Monday, Langford’s back injury had been a hot-button topic, but his status for this game hasn’t been decided. Cameron Drummond of the Indiana Daily Student revealed a school spokesperson stated the freshman guard is “continuing to rehab his back and no determination has been made on his availability.”
On a positive note, Mike Pegram of Peegs.com pointed out a quote from Indiana coach Archie Miller who said he doesn’t believe there’s any longterm issue with Langford’s back. Unfortunately, he didn’t provide any reason to believe the guard will suit up Tuesday.
Archie Miller says Romeo Langford making progress with his back soreness. Team has done MRIs and other checks and doesn’t think he has any long term issue. Says he will play him once “he gets that thing feeling good” #iubb
Although Langford’s potential return could be big, there’s little incentive to push him back into action, specifically for his own future. It’s widely expected that the 6-foot-6 guard will be a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft should he opt to go pro. At this moment, it seems to be very iffy that he will suit up and face the Shockers.
Langford played in 32 games so far this season for the Hoosiers, averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 34.1 minutes per game. He’s shot 44.8 percent from the field and 27.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Indiana Players Step up in Langford’s Absence
It’s been good to see a few other players have success in Langford’s absence, specifically junior guard Devonte Green, who played 37 minutes in each of the first two games. He totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds last game along with 12 points in the opener. Sophomore guard Al Durham tacked on 22 points in the game against Saint Francis.
Juwan Morgan was a force in the round-one win for the Hoosiers, pouring in 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds. Deron Davis also chipped in solid production off the bench during the narrow victory over the Razorbacks, scoring 10 points with three rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes.
READ NEXT: Ja Morant Over Zion Williamson NBA Draft Argument Goes Beyond Stats