Report: Indiana guard Robert Johnson out in Sweet 16 vs North Carolina

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Indiana sophomore guard Robert Johnson reportedly won’t play vs North Carolina in the Sweet 16

The Indiana Hoosiers pulled off an impressive upset in the Second Round of March Madness when they toppled the highly touted Kentucky Wildcats. One of the most impressive parts of the win, though, was that the Hoosiers suffered a couple of injuries throughout the game that left them short-handed down the stretch. As they look to topple another giant in the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night in the Sweet 16, they will seemingly start out short-handed without Robert Johnson in the lineup.

After Johnson suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the win against Kentucky, the sophomore guard reportedly isn’t going to be able to suit up against the Tar Heels on Friday night:

Though Johnson hasn’t been a huge contributor for the Hoosiers this season or in the tournament, he still has tremendous value as a spark for their offense as he’s been an efficient offensive threat and one of Indiana’s best three-point shooters on the roster as he made 44.7 percent of his attempts on the year.

Not that he wasn’t already under pressure, but Robert Johnson reportedly being out against North Carolina puts even more of the onus on the shoulders of star senior Yogi Ferrell. The Tar Heels backcourt can be ferocious defensively and, without Johnson in the rotation, that could give them the advantage of being able to focus on Ferrell.

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