Ohio State Loses Key Scorer John Mobley Jr. to Hand Injury as Tournament Push Intensifies
Ohio State’s already narrow path to the NCAA Tournament just got even tighter. The Buckeyes announced that sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. is out indefinitely after suffering a hand injury in their recent matchup against USC - a brutal blow at a pivotal moment in the season.
Mobley has been a steady offensive force all year, averaging 15.1 points per game and serving as the team’s most reliable free-throw shooter at 87% from the stripe. He’s been the guy they turn to when the game tightens late, and now, as the Buckeyes fight for their postseason lives, they’ll be without their second-leading scorer - at least for the immediate future.
He’s expected to miss the upcoming game against Wisconsin, and that’s more than just a footnote. Wisconsin has been one of the hottest teams in college basketball since the calendar flipped to January. They’re coming off back-to-back wins over top-10 opponents - Illinois and Michigan State - and they’re rolling into Columbus with serious momentum.
The last time these two teams met, Wisconsin came out on top, 92-82. Interestingly, Mobley was largely held in check in that one, scoring just nine points.
But Ohio State still managed to find offensive rhythm, with Amare Bynum and Bruce Thornton each dropping 18, and Devin Royal adding 16. So the Buckeyes have shown they can score without Mobley at the forefront - but scoring and winning are two very different things, especially against a team as dialed-in as the Badgers.
Now, the challenge becomes consistency. Can Ohio State piece together enough offense without their go-to guy? Can someone step up and carry that scoring load in crunch time?
The road ahead doesn’t offer much breathing room. After Wisconsin, the Buckeyes face a gauntlet of Big Ten opponents: Michigan State, Iowa, Purdue, Penn State, and Indiana. That’s three Quad 1 games and three more in Quad 2 territory - a brutal closing stretch for a team sitting squarely on the bubble.
In short, it’s make-or-break time in Columbus. The opportunities are there to build a tournament-worthy résumé, but without Mobley, the margin for error just got a whole lot slimmer. Every possession, every rebound, every late-game free throw - they all matter that much more now.