Injuries Mount, Bench Tested as Buckeyes Brace for UCLA Clash
The Ohio State Buckeyes are feeling the wear and tear of a long season, and now, with Big Ten play heating up, the margin for error is shrinking fast.
Already thin in the frontcourt, the Buckeyes took another hit during Sunday’s game against Washington when center Christoph Tilly exited in the second half with a head injury and didn’t return. That came just days after forward Brandon Noel went down with a leg injury against Nebraska. Head coach Jake Diebler summed up Tilly’s status for Saturday’s matchup with UCLA in one word: hopeful.
“Hopeful is the best way I can describe it,” Diebler said. “No determination yet. It’s too early to tell.”
At 11-5, Ohio State is hovering just outside the NCAA Tournament field in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection. With two key rotation players sidelined and a high-profile nonconference test looming, Diebler and his staff are leaning heavily into a “next man up” mentality.
That’s easier said than done when your bench has been one of the least-used in the country.
According to KenPom, Ohio State ranks 309th nationally in bench minutes. In two of their last six games, the Buckeyes’ reserves failed to score a single point. That’s not just a stat-it’s a red flag, especially now that the team’s depth is being tested in real time.
“We got to find a way to get more production out of our bench,” Diebler said after the Nebraska loss, where the bench again came up empty. “I told these guys, ‘I want you to be more aggressive.’”
That message seemed to resonate-at least briefly. In the first game of Ohio State’s West Coast swing, freshman guard Gabe Cupps broke out of a scoring drought with nine points off the bench in a 72-62 win over Oregon. It was a small sample, but one that hinted at a possible turning point.
“It’s certainly a challenge asking guys who maybe are playing limited minutes to be aggressive,” Diebler said. “But I think we’re starting to break through there.”
That breakthrough didn’t last long. Against Washington, after Tilly went down, the Buckeyes’ bench logged 51 minutes but managed just four points-all from forward Ivan Njegovan. With Noel and Tilly both out, the frontcourt rotation was stretched to its limit.
And that puts even more on the shoulders of Ohio State’s starters-especially Bruce Thornton, who’s been an ironman this season. The sophomore guard is averaging 36.25 minutes per game, ranking 12th nationally. That kind of workload isn’t sustainable without help from the bench, particularly in the grind of Big Ten play.
“The Big Ten doesn’t give you a week off if you’re dealing with injuries,” Diebler said.
With Tilly’s availability still in question and Noel expected to miss extended time, Ohio State is preparing for multiple lineup scenarios heading into Saturday’s clash with UCLA. It’s not just about plugging holes-it’s about finding players ready to step up and seize the moment.
“It’s guys who are longing for greater opportunity when they have it,” Diebler said. “Injuries are part of opportunities growing.”
For the Buckeyes, the equation is simple: if they want to stay in the tournament conversation and make a run in the Big Ten, the bench can’t just survive-it has to contribute. Whether that spark comes from Cupps, Njegovan, or someone else, Ohio State needs answers, and they need them now.