Nashville, Tenn. – Ohio State’s men’s basketball team will face No. 15 Virginia on Saturday without sophomore guard John Mobley Jr., who underwent surgery on his right hand following an injury sustained during Wednesday’s 89-82 victory over USC. Mobley is expected to be sidelined for at least a week, according to the team.
The injury occurred in the second half of the USC game when Mobley, after a turnover, reached for the ball and then immediately clutched his right hand, according to reports from the Big Ten Network broadcast. He briefly left the game for treatment, returning with his pinky and index fingers taped and continued to play, scoring two 3-pointers after the injury. He finished the game with 13 points.
Mobley, a starter in all 24 games this season, is the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game. He leads the team in 3-point shooting, converting 40.0% of his attempts, with 70 made three-pointers. His absence represents a significant loss for Ohio State as it attempts to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler acknowledged the injury after the USC game, stating, “Better, given that he hit those 3s after that,” but offered no further details. The team has since announced Mobley will be out indefinitely but is expected to return before the end of the season.
The Buckeyes are already playing without Brandon Noel, who suffered a foot injury in a January 5th loss to No. 10 Nebraska. With Mobley sidelined, senior guard Bruce Thornton remains the only player to have started all 24 games for Ohio State this season.
Ohio State (16-8) faces a challenging stretch of games in the coming weeks, including matchups against Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, and Purdue. According to ClutchPoints, the team will need to win at least two of these games to improve its chances of securing a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The game against Virginia is a neutral-site contest at Bridgestone Arena.
Taison Chatman is expected to start in place of Mobley against Virginia, according to reports from the scene.
