Sullinger Back, Thomas Honored, Buckeyes Maintain Ranking

The Ohio State basketball team made headlines on multiple fronts today, and no story was bigger than the update Thad Matta gave on the playing status of Jared Sullinger.

After injuring his left foot in the opening minutes of the South Carolina game on Saturday, the Buckeyes were relieved to find no fracture in the x-ray that was taken at a nearby facility in Columbia. It was unknown how long it would take for Jared to recover from his latest injury, but Matta said he expects Sullinger to play against the Lamar Cardinals on Tuesday. That’s good news for an Ohio State team that isn’t nearly as dominant without their pre-season All-American on the court.

 

In other news, fellow sophomore Deshaun Thomas was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Week after averaging 26.5 points, four rebounds and three assists in two games last week. Thomas was incredibly efficient on offense in both games against South Carolina Upstate and South Carolina, connecting on 16 straight 2-point baskets during both games. His week was highlighted with his performance against the Gamecocks where he scored a career high 30 points on 13-16 shooting (81%). This is the first time Thomas has earned the conferences Player of the Week honors.

Finally, after winning both of their games last week, the Buckeyes were able to maintain their No. 2 ranking in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll behind No. 1 Syracuse. The Buckeyes earned five first-place votes in the AP poll and one in the Coaches. Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina round out the top five in the AP Poll, but the coaches ranked Duke over Carolina this week.

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