Scott Christopherson has been playing hurt; Jamie Vanderbeken, too. Monday morning, Diante Garrett woke up with flu-like symptoms. With just seven able bodies for coach Fred Hoiberg to use, times are getting hard.

“We’ve got some issues going on right now, but you find a way to get through that,” Hoiberg said. 

The first-year Cyclone coach has ratcheted back the physicality of his team’s practices to try and help his team stay healthy. Christopherson has been dealing with a bone spur in his right elbow for several weeks. Vanderbeken’s been playing on a sore ankle. Those two are injuries Hoiberg can work around in practice. Garrett’s sickness, though, is something the team can’t prepare for.

“The coaches have done a good job of making sure that our bodies are fresh and that we’re as healthy as we can be,” Christopherson said. “Playing seven or eight guys at the most, we can’t afford to lose guys in practice.”

Garrett made the trip to Stillwater, Okla., for the Cyclones’ Wednesday matchup with Oklahoma State, but may not play at full strength.

Christopherson got a shot in his elbow before Saturday’s win over Baylor, something that may be a game-to-game procedure for him. The nature of his injury keeps his status for each game up in the air until tipoff, too.

“It’s going to be a little bit inconsistent on how he feels from day to day,” Hoiberg said. “We’re going to continue the treatment plan, and hopefully he’ll be OK on the road trip these next two games.”

After Wednesday’s game in Stillwater, Iowa State takes off to Columbia, Mo., to face Missouri, leaving little time for soreness and sickness to wear away.

“That’s the Big 12. There’s not going to be an easy game,” Vanderbeken said.

The 6-foot-11 Canadian played on his sore ankle Saturday, but still put up one of the season’s best performances, shooting 7-of-8 from three-point range to lead the Cyclone victory.

He’ll be challenged Wednesday, going up against physical OSU forward Marshall Moses in the post. However, that physicality is something Hoiberg is weary to try and replicate.

“I’d love to. We just don’t have that luxury because we don’t have depth,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve really got to be careful, we can’t lose a guy in practice.”

Practices are shorter for his team’s tired legs, but the coach said they’re intense and mostly focused on getting the group mentally prepared.

“I would like to practice more than we do, but we just can’t,” Vanderbeken said. “We don’t have the numbers to go two or three hours anymore. With the time we are in the gym, we’ve got to be 100 percent focused and 100 percent active.”