Scotty Middleton is back with Ohio State as Buckeyes prepare to host Georgia in NIT
Ohio State will have its full roster in uniform for Tuesday night’s NIT quarterfinal game with Georgia.
Sophomore guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. are expected to play after missing time due to injury in Saturday’s win against Virginia Tech while freshman wing Scotty Middleton has returned to the team after being away for more than a week to attend to a family situation, coach Jake Diebler said Monday morning.
“He’s still processing through some of that family stuff,” Diebler said of Middleton. “He’s got our full support, but he’s back. He’s still working through that.”
Thornton, who finished with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds with two steals and one turnover in 33:12, had to exit the game with 1:44 remaining and Ohio State ahead 71-64 when he went down hard on a drive. Sean Pedulla was whistled for the foul but Thornton remained flat on his stomach for a moment before being helped to his feet and limping to the end of the bench. As Felix Okpara shot two free throws in his place, Thornton draped a towel over his face in obvious pain, briefly left for the locker room and returned to watch the final seconds of the 81-73 win.
Afterward, Diebler said he had taken a knee to his thigh. It marked the second straight game Thornton had to leave early after he sprained his ankle on a drive against Cornell in the NIT opener, finishing with 9 points, four assists and no turnovers in 28 minutes.
In four postseason games, Thornton has 30 assists and four turnovers while averaged 13.8 points per game.
“He got hit in the thigh,” Diebler said. “He took a knee to the thigh. We’re still evaluating him.”
On his weekly radio show about half an hour after meeting with reporters, Diebler said Thornton was progressing from the injury and said they would know more as the day continued.
Against the Hokies, he helped carry the load with classmate Roddy Gayle Jr. on the bench with his right hand wrapped in a towel. Gayle has dealt with right wrist pain for much of the season and suffered a significant floor burn on his hand as the Buckeyes played Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 15. He has periodically had the wrist and/or hand area taped at various times this season and in the last two weeks.
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Gayle subbed out with 16:33 left in the Virginia Tech game but checked back in with 5:24 to play and helped close out the game. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks, a steal and a turnover in 26:25.
"We expect him to be back," Diebler said. "He was obviously able to return."
Middleton has not appeared in the NIT. After scoring 5 points and adding two assists, a steal and a rebound in the loss to Illinois, the freshman wing has left the team to return home for an undisclosed family situation. As the Buckeyes hosted Cornell, the expectation was that he would be back by the weekend. Saturday night, Diebler said they were praying for Middleton’s family, that the freshman has their support and that they anticipated him “being back soon.”
He has averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game spread across 30 appearances.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Scotty Middleton back with Ohio State for Georgia game in NIT
