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Amidst a tumultuous Saturday in Lawrence, Indiana's lackluster outing was felt even more so due to an injury that saw Xavier Johnson, the Hoosiers' lead guard since his arrival in Bloomington a season ago, go down with a foot injury.

However, despite their negative nature and impact, it often opens up opportunities for younger, less experienced options to step into larger roles on the floor. With Johnson out for at least a chunk of time and 30 backcourt minutes suddenly needing to be allocated for, the door has swung open for many of Indiana's guards looking to increase their share of run on the floor.

On Tuesday night, freshman guard CJ Gunn was eager to jump at the opportunity and added to his case for a larger presence in the rotation. It's not surprising, seeming as how nearly every time he touches the floor, he leaves you wondering why he isn't more of a mainstay in the first place.

"It felt good," Gunn said postgame. "Coach just always tells me and the other guys to just stay ready and be ready to hoop, and I feel like that's what I did today. Obviously I wanted to get in the game, so when I get the opportunity I'm going to play the best ball I can and do the things Coach asks me to do."

On the night, Gunn finished with 11 points on 5-of-10 from the field in 19 minutes. He also added three rebounds and three assists. On the season he had totaled just 17 points on 8-of-25 from the field.

In the limited minutes Gunn has seen leading up to Tuesday’s performance, his role has been here and there, largely getting minutes late in games when the result is decided with the exception of a couple of instances. For someone like Gunn, an adjustment to that role is a challenge in itself.

“One of the hardest things to do when you're coming in as a freshman is you want to please, you want to do well,” IU senior wing Miller Kopp said of Gunn’s performance. “At the same time, you have to learn what the coaches are asking of you and what the guys need from you.“

Indiana was up just four points when Gunn checked into the game for the first time in the first half. It was another sluggish start for the Hoosiers and Mike Woodson went deep into his bench for some sort of spark and gave Gunn the chance to display what he’s learned so far.

His digging was rewarded, and he found something with Gunn.

"Right now, one of his (CJ's) goals, and he'll tell you, is just to get on the floor and get in the rotation," Kopp said Tuesday night. "Really every day in practice he plays hard as ever. He talks, he's trying to do the right things. Yes, there are mess-ups, but at the same time, it all comes from a good place, and he's doing things at a thousand miles an hour.

"At the end of the day, as a guy who's been here for a while in college, it makes me happy to see a guy like CJ work so hard and continue to do things the right way because eventually it's going to build up, and he'll see the benefits for sure."

Gunn started with a defensive rebound on his first possession, a steal on his second possession, a steal a few possessions later and then a defensive rebound the possession after. He was in the game for more than three minutes before he attempted his first shot of the game. But, in that time he made a significant impact and helped grow the lead to 10 points.

He would go on to put an exclamation point on the first half with an offensive rebound, put-back dunk at the buzzer. Elevating over the defense in a way that guards not named Ja Morant or Russell Westbrook rarely ever do, that exclamation was the end of a 20-4 run for the Hoosiers and sent the hosts into the break up 18 points. From there on, the Hoosiers were in full control for the remainder of the game.

Gunn, who came in known for his shooting and looked at as someone who could find his way into the rotation because of that, is turning heads due to his hustle.

It's something that you need no talent or skill for. But, if Tuesday's performance is any indication, that hustle and energy — not to mention the confidence he oozes whenever he’s on the floor — is now the calling card of Gunn and may be emerging at a time when Indiana needs that the most.

"I'm just playing the game the right way," Gunn said. "Last year I was used to playing against tiddlywinks, so now it's a different level. It's a different level of ball. I've just got to adjust to the game, and it comes with practicing hard and meshing with the guys, and that's how I look at It."

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