Junior forward Derek Elston will miss Thursday’s game after undergoing minor surgery to repair a fracture in his nose, IU coach Tom Crean said Wednesday.

Crean said Elston suffered the injury when he caught an “errant” elbow going after a loose ball in practice. He isn’t expected to miss significant time.

"Derek Elston’s gonna miss tomorrow, because he had surgery on a fracture in his nose yesterday. He sustained it last week and was able to play on it. We decided to get it done yesterday, so he’ll miss tomorrow night, which will give us enough time to get better (before Michigan State)," Crean said. "We certainly don’t anticipate anything more than just a couple of games with him."

Elston apparently played through the injury against Howard, and game in which he scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in 12 minutes.

Crean has become fond this season of saying that Elston and sophomore forward Will Sheehey, in his eyes, are essentially starters, giving Indiana a tight seven-man rotation from which to build early in the season. Elston has played in 10 of 11 games for Indiana this season, averaging 13.6 minutes, 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Austin Etherington, Crean said, will be one player in particular who could see more court time in Elston’s absence. Crean also indicated Elston likely will be healthy for Indiana’s trip to Michigan State on Dec. 28.