Senior captain Xavier Johnson and the Indiana Hoosiers have found themselves on the verge of a failing season, in large part due to the lack of direction.
Head coach Mike Woodson, Johnson and many others from the team have made their goals clear from the beginning of the season — that they want to win as many basketball games and championships as possible.
After a 66-57 loss to Rutgers Tuesday night, Indiana’s postseason hopes are beginning to dwindle. They still face No. 1 Purdue and No. 15 Wisconsin twice on top of No. 10 Illinois in Champaign, not to mention 10 other Big Ten matchups where they will need to win some games on the road.
With the challenge continuing against Minnesota on Friday, Johnson’s leadership is necessary for Indiana to get back on track.
“Everything is in place for X, I just need him to lead more,” Woodson said in a pre-season press conference. “That’s all he needs to think about doing. His game will take care of itself based on the fact that he’s got experience at the college level now and he knows what I’m about.”
Johnson was ejected for a flagrant two foul against Rutgers with 13 minutes left in the second half after striking forward Antwone Woolfolk below the belt. It was a point of no return for IU, as Johnson left the court laughing in shock, and the Scarlet Knights took control and went on to win. Just days earlier, Johnson acknowledged his need to mature.
“I got to grow up, and I grew up tonight and got to keep growing up and not turn over the ball because my team needs me to make the right play every time,” Johnson said in a win over Ohio State.
Johnson finished with two points, two assists, one rebound and five turnovers in 24 minutes against Rutgers.
It’s been another unconventional year for Johnson, as a separate lower body injury than the broken right foot suffered against Kansas in Dec. 2022, sidelined him for the entire month of Dec. 2023. IU went 5-2 in that time, with losses against Auburn in a 104-76 blowout and No. 2 Kansas in a back-and-forth 75-71 battle.
“Not having X, I’m not using that as an excuse, I mean he’s a senior point guard that can score the ball and make plays for us especially when we were getting pressured like we were,” Woodson said after the Auburn loss. “That hurt, but again we showed wonderful signs tonight against a good team early on and we just need to sustain that for a 40-minute ball game.”
Johnson answered many fans’ New Year's wishes when he returned to play against Nebraska on Jan. 3, though it was not the welcome back many had in mind. He finished scoreless with four turnovers.
“He only played 14 minutes, but it was an awful 14 minutes,” Woodson said in reference to Johnson’s Northwestern performance. “I kind of shared that with him yesterday because he was trying to do too much in the short period of time that he played. He’s just gotta let it come to him and relax and play.”
Johnson responded with 18 points, three assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers against Ohio State. He also revealed the injury that caused him to miss the last month of action.
“It’s been challenging,” Johnson said after the Ohio State win. “A lot of people don’t know I had a crack in my foot that kept me away from basketball. The month has been challenging. I tried to stay in it with my teammates, conditioning up. Just tried to be a positive impact on the team even though I’m not playing.”
While Johnson was there for his teammates off the court, his teammates had his back on the court.
“He’s been working hard every single day,” sophomore guard CJ Gunn said after the Ohio State win. “He’s hungry for this, and we’re counting on him. Even though he was out with his injury, we were here for him, to help pick him up. He’s our captain. He’s our guard. So we all look to him for leadership, and he’s done an absolutely amazing role doing that. He’s going to help lead us through the Big Ten and hopefully win the championship.”
After a disappointing return, leading into a fantastic bounce-back performance, followed by an ejection with five turnovers, Johnson’s streaky performances must come to an end for the success of the team and needs to be replaced with consistent leadership.
“I mean we were down three on the road, so you feel pretty good about that, but you don’t expect your senior guard to get kicked out,” Woodson said after the Rutgers loss. “We came into the game knowing that this team is a great offensive rebounding team, so that hurt us, and then the turnovers hurt us again.”
Johnson knows what it takes to lead and win in the Big Ten, and with more experience than the majority of his competitors, he is more than capable of turning this sinking ship around. However, only time will tell if it will be soon enough for the Hoosiers.
