Indiana's Jordan Geronimo Seems Good to Go For Tuesday's NCAA Tournament Game

Indiana coach Mike Woodson said "I think he's going to play'' when asked about sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo on Monday. He injured his knee last Friday in the Big Ten Tournament, but Woodson thinks he'll be ready to roll for Tuesday night's NCAA Tournament game against Wyoming.

DAYTON, Ohio — Indiana sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo was having a great Big Ten Tournament, but a knee injury knocked him out of Friday's game against Illinois, and he couldn't play at all in the Hoosiers' semifinal loss to Iowa.

But he was out on the court running around and smiling during Indiana's open-to-the-public practice on Monday night in Dayton, and seems like he's ready to play in Indiana's ''First Four'' NCAA Tournament game against Wyoming.

"I think he's going to play,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said Monday night. "He worked a little bit today in practice. So we'll see how it goes. I'll get a better feel when he wakes up in the morning, see where he is.''

Indiana practiced in Bloomington Monday before flying over to Dayton. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Xavier Johnson and Race Thompson met with the media when they got here, as did Woodson, and then they shot around inside the University of Dayton Arena for 40 minutes.

They are the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday night, and the game should start around 9:10 p.m. ET. It is Indiana's first NCAA Tournament game since March 25, 2016, when a Tom Crean-coached Indiana team lost to North Carolina 101-86 in the regional semifinal.

Woodson, who played in two NCAA Tournaments while at Indiana, knows what it takes to weave through this postseason journey.

"It's a grind,'' Woodson said. "Preparation is so important. Yes, it's an exciting time, but everybody wants to win, man. Nobody wants to go home. That's why it's so competitive. That's why when March Madness rolls around, you see all these great games. 

"And you just walk away shaking your head, saying, wow, that was a hell of a game. It's just different playing for a Big Ten title, it's different. The play is so intense. And that's how it should be. It's like the NBA playoffs. The level of play just goes to a different level.''

Having all hands on deck will help a lot. Woodson said that sophomore guard Trey Galloway, who missed five games with a groin injury prior to the Big Ten Tournament, survived the weekend just fine and is good to go for Tuesday.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• UNDERSTANDING FIRST FOUR: For the first time in school history, Indiana is playing in the ''First Four'' in the NCAA Tournament. It was created in 2011 to allow four more teams the opportunity to play in the tournament. Indiana plays Wyoming in a No. 12 seed game, and the winner will then travel to Portland, Ore., to play No. 5 seed Saint Mary's. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIERS FAVORED: Indiana is a 4-point favorite according to the opening line on FanDuel.com on Monday. Here's the latest on the point spread, and a complete breakdown on what Indiana and Wyoming have done vs. the spread all season. CLICK HERE
• GOING DANCING: Indiana has made its first NCAA Tournament since 2016, and it starts right away with a play-in game on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio. They are the No. 12 seed and will play Wyoming from the Mountain West Conference, and if they win they have to travel to Portland, Ore. for its first-round game against St. Mary's. CLICK HERE
• NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET: Here is the full 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket for the 68-team field. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIERS FALL TO IOWA: Jordan Bohannon, a sixth-year senior guard at Iowa who's been a thorn in the side of Indiana teams for years, hit a banked 30-footer with a second to go to give the Hawkeyes an 80-77 win over the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday in Indianapolis. CLICK HERE.