Report: Ohio State forward Scotty Middleton suspended vs. Penn State for violation of team rules

The Ohio State basketball team will be out to end a three-game losing skid in conference play on Saturday afternoon, but it’ll do so without freshman forward Scotty Middleton.

According to a report from Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch, Middleton has been suspended for a violation of team rules and won’t be at Saturday’s contest against Penn State. It is an Ohio State home game.

Scotty Middleton is one of the rotational bench players for the Buckeyes.

So far this season he has averaged 16.8 minutes per contest, while chipping in 4.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He’s been able to provide quality minutes in the paint when asked to.

His loss will sting for the Buckeyes, which are already reeling going into Saturday’s game.

Ohio State has lost three straight contests after starting the season 12-2. Coach Chris Holtmann opened up on the losing streak, and why this year’s streak is different than some of the more extended losing skids the Buckeyes hit last season.

“All the numbers would suggest it’s much different than last year,” Holtmann said. “The quality of our games, even the ones we’ve lost here? The quality of play has been much better than the stretch we were in last year.

“Obviously, it’s an end-result game. We’ve got to figure out how to finish out. At the end of the day, our play has been significantly better than that stretch.”

Ohio State’s losing streak in conference play last year would greatly outstrip the current three-game slide the team is on. Last year Ohio State lost 14 of 15 games at one point in conference play.

If the Buckeyes want to pick themselves up off the mat and start swinging again, today’s as good a day as any, even without Scotty Middleton available.

A so-so Penn State squad limps into Columbus having lost three of its last five and sitting at just .500 on the season. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor based on the analytics currently has Ohio State as an 81.3% favorite to win the game.

The game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday with a broadcast on the Big Ten Network.