As the Indiana Hoosiers take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Assembly Hall tonight, they will be without their leading scorer, Malik Reneau, for the remainder of the game. The junior forward went down in the first 30 seconds of the game with what is now being called a lower-body injury, but in real-time, it looked to be a knee injury.
Malik Reneau (lower body/knee) will be out the remainder of Indiana's game vs Rutgers, per the Peacock broadcast. #iubb
— Alec Lasley (@allasley) January 3, 2025
Indiana is not the only team in this matchup without their leading scorer, as the Scarlet Knights are without Dylan Harper, who is sitting out of this game even though he is with the team at Assembly Hall. It has been reported that Harper was listed as questionable for the game but did not dress out for warmups and that several people have said he is under the weather.
The Hoosiers will miss Reneau as he is their leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game. He also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.4 a game, which has helped Indiana on the defensive side of the ball.
Losing Reneau so early in the game could have helped Indiana in a way, as they had to learn how to play without him early and get into a rhythm. Indiana will have to have players such as sixth-year senior Oumar Ballo, who is back with the Hoosiers after not playing against Winthrop after what is reported as because he went out to the bars the night before the game.
The Hoosiers will have to play a stronger defense, though, even without Harper on the court, as the Scarlet Knights have freshman guard/forward Ace Bailey, who has had an amazing first half with 16 points, four rebounds, and two blocks with about two and a half minutes go until halftime.