Ohio StateUpdated: Feb. 16, 2026, 9:26 a.m.|Published: Feb. 16, 2026, 5:00 a.m.
Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State basketball team is entering a vital stretch of the regular season as it tries to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately, the Buckeyes will have to continue that mission without their second-leading scorer. John Mobley Jr. sustained a hand injury in OSU’s 89-82 win over USC last Wednesday that forced him to miss a 70-66 loss to Virginia over the weekend. The sophomore is expected to be out indefinitely with an expectation that he’ll return at some point this season.
Mobley had started the first 24 games of the season averaging 15.1 points per game on 42.2% shooting
Key dates2026 NFL Scouting Combine: 7 days, Feb. 23- March 2, 2026Ohio State first spring practice: 22 days, March 10, 2026Ohio State Spring Game: 61 days, April 18, 20262026 NFL Draft: 66 days, April 23-25, 2026Big Ten Media Days: 162 days, July 28-30, 2026Ohio State vs. Ball State (Season Opener): 201 days, Sept. 5, 2026The Game 2026: 285 days, Nov. 28, 2026Big Ten Championship Game: 292 days, Dec. 5, 2026College Football Playoff first round: 305 days, Dec. 18-19, 2026College Football Playoff quarterfinal: 317 days, Dec. 30, 2026 and 2025-Jan. 1, 2027 College Football Playoff semifinal: 332 days, Jan. 14-15, 2027College Football Playoff National Championship Game: 343 days, Jan. 25, 2027
Stephen Means covers Ohio State football for Cleveland.com while also serving as the host of the Buckeye Talk podcast. Prior to covering the Buckeyes, he got experience working at the Akron Beacon Journal… more