After all was said and done, Illinois freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. sat out only five games and less than four weeks because of a broken wrist – a drop in the bucket given that a terrified lIlini Nation and rebounding fans everywhere initially feared he might be done for the season.

After a month-long absence with a broken wrist, freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. is expected to return on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Nearly a month after Johnson Jr.'s "indefinite" injury, Illinois received good news that Johnson Jr. would return to the rotation beginning Thursday when it plays the winner between Ohio State and Iowa at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind.

Illinois freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr., after suffering a broken wrist on Feb. 15 at Michigan State, has been cleared for action, according to Illinois Basketball’s X social media account. Johnson missed just 23 days of action, beating the usual recovery timetable of at least 4-6 weeks by an impressive margin.

After missing five games with a wrist injury, Illinois’s Chicago-raised big man is expected to return. The Illini announced on Twitter that Johnson Jr. would return to the court for the Big Ten Tournament and beyond.

Center Morez Johnson is returning for Illinois, just in time for the postseason. Johnson has missed the last five games after suffering a broken left wrist against Michigan State on Feb. 15. The Illini big man was ruled out indefinitely,