The hits keep coming for Ohio State. Not only did the Buckeyes lose key freshman DJ Carton a few weeks ago as he looks to work on his mental health, but Kyle Young, Duane Washington and Luther Muhammad have all missed games in Big Ten play. It has been hard for coach Chris Holtmann to nail down a consistent rotation as he constantly has to switch things around.
Ohio State may be safely in the NCAA Tournament, but its still looking to improve its seeding in the Big Ten Tournament as well as for March Madness. The Buckeyes are just 8-8 in league play and has a chance to move out of the 8/9 game and therefore avoid a potential game against Maryland in the quarterfinals in Indianapolis next month.
Thursday, however, brought another blow to Holtmanns group. This time, its Young and freshman wing Alonzo Gaffney.
Neither will play for the Buckeyes at Nebraska. This was first reported byJon Rothstein of CBS Sports and has now been confirmed by Bucknuts. Gaffney has played just 27 total minutes in Big Ten play, but Young has started every game he has played in. Rothstein reported that Young will miss the game with an ankle injury, while Gaffney is sick.
This isnt a surprise, as Young went down with a high ankle sprain in the Buckeyes win over Maryland on Sunday. High sprains typically pose longer recovery times than low ones, and Young put barely any weight on his left leg while being helped off the court. Holtmann didnt say after the win how long Young would be out for.
Kyle is, what has been described to me right now, is a high ankle sprain and he's still in the process of getting it looked at and worked on, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said after the game. He's had really, really hard, bad luck. I just feel terrible for him.
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Young missed games against Wisconsin and Maryland in early January after having an appendectomy Ohio State lost both games without Young and is 7-5 since he returned. The Buckeyes will play their first Big Ten Tournament game two weeks from today if they dont move significantly up or down the standings, and theyve got key matchups with Michigan, Illinois and Michigan State to end the regular season.CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm pegged the Buckeyes as a No. 6 seed in his latest projection, released Monday morning. A loss to Nebraska would likely end up as a Quadrant 3 setback, and one of Ohio States top selling points with respect to its resume is that it is undefeated against Quadrants 3 and 4. The Buckeyes could also use a road win, as theyre just 4-7 away from Value City Arena this season.
Excerpt from:
Ohio State will be shorthanded at Nebraska on Thursday - 247Sports
