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John Mobley Jr injury update: Ohio State announces guard out indefinitely, expected to return this season

Danby: Daniel Hager02/14/26DanielHagerOn3

Ohio State announced on Saturday that sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. is ‘out indefinitely’ after suffering a hand injury in the Buckeyes’ game against USC on Feb. 11. He, however, is expected to return this season.

In 24 games this season, Mobley Jr. is averaging 15.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. Ohio State currently sits at 16-8 (8-6) and is projected as a No. 11 seed in On3’s latest Bracketology.

The Buckeyes have been a particularly tough team to figure out this season. They are 3-3 in their last three games, alternating wins and losses. They, also, have not fared well at all in games against Q1 opponents. In such games, they are 1-7, with their lone win coming against Northwestern on the road. In all other games, Jake Diebler‘s team is 15-1. Over their final seven regular season games, Ohio State will play four Q1 opponents (No. 15 Virginia, No. 10 Michigan State, Iowa, and No. 13 Purdue).

The last time Ohio State hit the court, it knocked off USC 89-82 in Columbus. Diebler was fired up following the win, calling it ‘very, very crucial’.

It feels very, very crucial,” Diebler said. “It’s a team with similar metrics, it’s a home game, similar standings in the Big Ten, all that stuff, right? Which, again, we’re going to keep facing as the year goes on. I think most importantly, the results are critical right now. Let’s take that aside.

“Most importantly, our guys responded in a big way, responded with good physicality, responded with utilizing each other to fix things during the game. I thought our connection was better than the last game. Listen, it’s a big ten game in February, so there’s going to be runs, there’s going to be challenging moments. Our guys stuck together, and our leadership was really good, really good down the stretch.”

After missing the NCAA Tournament just three times from 2006-2022, Ohio State was not present in either the 2023, 2024, or 2025 NCAA Tournament.