Penn State uses an army when it comes to its rotation, but it has gone to battle without one of its key leaders for nearly the past month.
Forward Puff Johnson has been sidelined since sustaining a hand injury against Michigan State on Jan. 15. His absence was felt once again in the Nittany Lions’ latest loss, this time falling to Minnesota 69-61 inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night.
Minnesota forward Dawson Garcia tallied a team-high 19 points and 14 rebounds against Penn State. Had Johnson — who usually ran the four for the Nittany Lions — been available to play, he would’ve been the logical defender against Garcia.