Illinois freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr., a starter for the Fighting Illini over the past eight games, will be out indefinitely after breaking his left wrist while blocking a shot on Saturday.
Johnson, who is averaging 7.2 points this season but 9.9 since joining the starting lineup on Jan. 23, made a spectacular two-handed rejection on a driving layup by Michigan State’s Tre Holloman. He will miss “a good bit” of time with the wrist in a cast, coach Brad Underwood said on Monday.
The Fighting Illini (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) have a road game against No. 11 Wisconsin on Tuesday.
Johnson, Mr. Basketball in Illinois in 2024, played 25 minutes in the 79-65 loss to visiting Michigan State and finished with 17 points and five rebounds. He added two blocks and two steals. Johnson is averaging 6.6 boards for the season and 6.3 as a starter.
The injury happened with just under eight minutes left in the second half, although Underwood noted that Johnson stayed in the game for most of the remainder of the game.
“He hit the floor pretty hard and was tough enough to bounce up and just say, ‘Tape it.’ That impacted a couple of his close misses at the rim as well late in the game,” Underwood said.
–Field Level Media
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