With the injury to Al Nolen, Minnesota is trying to Blake Hoffarber at point guard.

The Gophers have only eight players in their rotation following Nolen's broken foot.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith was still mulling several possibilities for his altered five-man combinations.

"I really concentrated this summer on getting my passing game up and ball-handling and stuff like that," said Hoffarber. "I've shown it so far this year, with me moving to point guard if I have to. I think I'm confident with that, and I can handle the ball and get guys the open shots."

Purdue forward Robbie Hummel says his recovery from knee surgery is going well.

Hummel originally tore the ACL in his right knee last Feb. 24. He reinjured the knee during practice on Oct. 16 and had surgery a month later.

His planned return for next season is on schedule.

Minnesota point guard Al Nolen will have surgery on his broken right foot.

There is doubt as to whether he'll be able to play for the Gophers again this season.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith said Monday on a conference call with Big Ten reporters that Nolen's injury will require an operation Wednesday to place a pin in his foot.

Nolen averaged 8.4 points and 3.7 assists in 14 games this season.

Hoosiers sophomore guard Verdell Jones III is out indefinitely with inflammation in his right knee.

Jones has started 17 games this season and scored 15 points in a 69-60 loss at Wisconsin on Thursday night.

The injury is the second major blow to Indiana's backcourt in the past eight days.

Indiana sophomore Maurice Creek is also out indefinitely after fracturing his right knee in a win over Michigan on Jan. 15.

UCLA freshman Joshua Smith will be a game-time decision for Saturday's game against Stanford.

Smith suffered a possible concussion in Thursday night's win against Cal.

He fell and bumped his head on the floor early in the first half.

Brigham Young forward Chris Collinsworth will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery Friday to repair cartilage damage in his right knee.

Cougars coach Dave Rose made the announcement on the school's website.

The procedure Friday revealed cartilage damage that required additional microfracture surgery. Rehabilitation will take four to five months but Collinsworth is expected back for the 2011-12 season.

Auburn guard Frankie Mitchell will miss the rest of the season because of a left knee injury.

Averaging 8.2 points and 3.0 assists in 24.7 minutes per game, the sophomore played in Auburn's six games prior to SEC play and hasn't played since.

"Frankie Sullivan means so much to our team, on and off the court," said head coach Tony Barbee. "He is a team leader.
Frankie's health is our number one concern with him."

Auburn will apply for a medical hardship waiver for him.

Hoosiers guard Maurice Creek has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right kneecap.

Creek spent nearly a year trying to recover from a fractured left kneecap.

"You can't imagine how big a blow it is to him," coach Tom Crean said. "It's a tough, tough situation, and I hope everyone will think about him and say a prayer for Mo and his family."

With less than two minutes to go in Indiana's 80-61 victory over Michigan on Saturday, Creek caught a long inbound pass, scored on a layup and then crashed to the floor.

Tar Heels forward John Henson returned to practice Monday after morning X-rays came back negative on his left arm injured a night earlier at Georgia Tech.

Henson, who absorbed a hard fall to the court late in Sunday night’s 78-58 loss at Georgia Tech, has a sprained left arm.

Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates said he's hopeful the twisted left ankle he suffered against Syracuse on Saturday is not serious.

“I don’t think it’s that bad based on what they told me,” Gates said. “Doc checked it and he gave me some pills to get the swelling down. I’m going to see him in the morning once we get home tomorrow.”

Gates came down on another player’s foot and left the game with 7:35 remaining in the first half of Cincinnati's loss.