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It may not be the way that he wanted, but freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino now has the keys to the Indiana offense and entire team for the matter, just nine games into his college career.

With fifth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson suffering a broken foot against Kansas and undergoing surgery on Wednesday, his absence from the floor has caused a drastic shift in terms of potential expectations for this Indiana team.

One thing it hasn't shifted? What's expected of Hood-Schifino.

"It doesn't change anything. They both ran the offense. When X is there, it gives you two guys that can make plays with the basketball, not only for themselves but for guys around them. Now we don't have X," IU head coach Mike Woodson said following IU's win over Elon. "I've got to keep an eye on Jalen, as well. He's just getting back from his flare-up, and you want to make sure that you don't bury him with a lot of minutes to the point where he goes back down. Then you're really stuck."

Hood-Schifino Is averaging 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 28.6 minutes per game this season. He is shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three. He has started every game he has been heathy for.

Tuesday night's win over Elon was Indiana's first game without Johnson in the starting lineup this season. Hood-Schifino finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field and seven assists.

He has now scored a new career-high in four of his last six games. His adjustment to the college game is coming a bit quicker than what was expected -- and those expectations were already high.

"Yeah, like just honestly, just adjusting. I started off a little slow, not hitting shots, but I feel like my game I can kind of do everything. If my shot is not falling, I can get others involved; I can rebound the ball, defend. I'm not too worried about it," Hood-Schifino said earlier this season. "Like I said, I'm in the gym every day, so eventually those shots are going to fall, but right now it's not hurting us."

That adjustment has helped him score 10+ points in five of his last six games -- averaging 11.8 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. He is also shooting 40.9 percent overall and 40.9 percent on 3s, making 1.5 3s per game in that span.

But, without Johnson alongside him to help with the ball handling duties, making sure Hood-Schifino stays healthy and on the floor is a priority. He missed three games this season with a back injury -- two resulted in losses.

"He's going to have to continue to do the same thing. It's not like the NBA where I can go to the D-League and find me another point guard," Woodson said. "He's the only true one that we have, and again, I just can't bury him with 40 minutes a game. I can't do that or there's a chance he could drop off.

"I've got to really watch that closely and monitor him as we continue this journey, but the guys like (Trey) Gallo and Scoop (Tamar Bates) and CJ (Gunn) and Anthony (Leal), guys that have to handle the ball for us, they've got to be more strong with it and be able to make basketball plays to help us."

There is no question Hood-Schifino is prepared for this moment and no question he is ready to lead this team moving forward.

"I'm definitely a true point guard, but at the end of the day I'm a basketball player," Hood-Schifino said this summer. "I'm versatile, I can play wherever the coach needs me to play, but I'm definitely a point guard, I love getting my teammates involved, I love leading.''

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