'In-house stuff.' IU's Xavier Johnson doesn't start vs. Minnesota after Rutgers ejection
BLOOMINGTON – Sixth-year point guard Xavier Johnson, a regular starter when healthy across the breadth of his Indiana career, was held out of the Hoosiers’ initial five-man lineup Friday night against Minnesota.
Johnson’s move to the bench came in the game immediately following his ejection for below-the-belt contact drawing a Flagrant 2 foul in IU’s loss at Rutgers midweek. Freshman Gabe Cupps replaced Johnson in coach Mike Woodson’s starting lineup.
It was not immediately clear whether Johnson was being further punished by his coach following Tuesday’s incident. Johnson has been benched for one game in the past, when Woodson sat five players — Johnson among them — for undisclosed rules violations in a loss at Northwestern his first year on the job.
"In-house stuff. I decided to go with Gabe," Woodson said after Friday's win over the Golden Gophers.
Johnson checked into the game at the 12:44 mark of the first half.
Across six games this season, Johnson is averaging 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The Virginia native missed seven-plus games with an unspecified lower-leg injury.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball PG Xavier Johnson benched after Rutgers ejection
