Indiana basketball vs. St. Francis exhibition: Six takeaways for IUBB

#5. Xavier Johnson cannot be the Hoosiers starting point guard

Am I the only one seeing Xavier Johnson play more out of control against an NAIA program than he did against most Division I teams all of last season? Johnson has definitely struggled from the floor, both with decision-making and shooting overall.

In the two exhibition games, Johnson has amassed 12 points, six assists, and five turnovers and has shot 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) from the field and 0-for-7 from three-point range in 39 minutes of game action. And that’s our senior starting point guard? The supposed leader of this team? He’s showing hints of Josh Newkirk as our lead ball handler, which I hope you remember did not turn out well for the Hoosiers.

I’m not giving up on the guy just yet, because he works very well with Jackson-Davis, but it might be time to hand the keys of the offense to Jalen Hood-Schifino. Does that mean Johnson comes off the bench and leads the second unit? Can he play alongside Hood-Schifino if he’s not running point? Coach Woodson has to figure this out fast before we face some real talent on November 18.