By Dustin Dopirak —
(Monday evening update: Archie Miller updated Galloway’s status after Monday practice on his radio show on Monday night)
“Trey has started to kind of move back into starting to do a little bit more,” Miller said. “Did the most he’s done today (Monday) since we actually played in the Purdue game, when he got injured, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. But if he has a decent feel tomorrow, and goes through shootaround — he’s starting to work his way back into the team routine, which is good.”
The original story from Monday afternoon follows.
Indiana has one more day in its nine-day layoff between basketball games, and Hoosiers coach Archie Miller was hoping that was going to be enough time for his team to get healthy. However, Miller strongly suggested in a Zoom press conference with reporters Monday that the Hoosiers will not be at full strength when they meet No. 12 Illinois at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Assembly Hall.
Freshman guard Trey Galloway missed the Hoosiers’ last two games at Iowa and at home against Rutgers with an injured back. Against Rutgers, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin aggravated the left ankle he sprained against Maryland on Jan. 4, which caused him to miss two games. Miller said the day after the Rutgers game that neither player would be available if the Hoosiers had to play in a mid-week game, and he wasn’t definitive Monday about whether either would be available Tuesday after the layoff.
“We have a banged-up team,” Miller said. “Armaan has been playing realistically since the Maryland game on a hobbled ankle. He’s re-aggravated it multiple times in the games that he’s returned. He’s had a hard time practicing, so we’re trying to get a guy like him back. Galloway has also been out with a back injury, has yet to really resume activity. We’re trying to get him as fresh as we possibly can.”
The 6-foot-4 Franklin is the Hoosiers’ second-leading scorer with 12.8 points per game, and he scored 23 points in the Hoosiers’ first meeting with the Fighting Illini on Dec. 26 in Champaign. Indiana lost that game 69-60 thanks to 30 points from Illinois junior guard and likely All-American Ayo Dosunmu, who Franklin frequently had to guard.
Galloway meanwhile, is averaging 23.4 minutes per game as a true freshman. He’s only scoring 4.9 points per game, but he’s been an effective perimeter defender, passer and finisher at the rim. Taking both Franklin and Galloway out of the lineup would make it even tougher to stop Dosunmu, who is averaging 21.9 points per game, as well as the list of other guards who contribute to Illinois’ perimeter scoring. The Hoosiers who have been healthy have spent the last nine days focused on perimeter defense after Rutgers scored far too easily off the dribble against them on Jan. 24.
“From a practice standpoint, we’re continuing to try to hone in on our fundamentals defensively,” Miller said. “We had a great opportunity against Iowa, played extremely hard. It wasn’t the same against Rutgers. Consistency is a big thing. Our effort level in general hasn’t been as consistent on that end of the floor. It’s something as we head into February with a lot of games left, we’re going to have to be better on that end. Preparing to play Illinois, you’ve got to be smart. Ayo is a guy that can hit you up in a lot of ways.”
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