Multiple Buckeyes chip in to overcome absence of Middleton
Ohio State opened Saturday's 79-67 win over Penn State minus one of its primary rotation players. Freshman wing Scotty Middleton, one of eight players averaging at least 16 minutes a game this season, was suspended and not with the team after an undisclosed violation of team rules.
It is unlikely to be more than a onegame suspension.
“Scotty's still part of this team,” coach Chris Holtmann said after the game. “He's a great kid. Really good kid. You guys know by now, whether I got my start coaching 12 or 15 years ago or coaching in 2024, we're always going to hold players accountable. He's a really good kid. Love him. Obviously a big part of this team.
“It's a different era in college sports, but our best players have always wanted to be coached and wanted to be held accountable. I love him as a kid and looking forward to his return.”
In 16 appearances, Middleton has averaged 4.7 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from the floor and 40.0% from 3-point range. He's
built a reputation as a “3 and D” player whose defensive versatility has been important in allowing the Buckeyes to switch more ball screens.
Without Middleton on Saturday, Ohio State got production from a number of unexpected sources. Fourth-year center Zed Key, who had scored 5 points in his past two games on only five shots, had 10 points while drawing eight fouls and not committing any in only 11:30.
Freshman Devin Royal had 8 secondhalf points in 5:14, giving him 15 points in his past two games. That's his highest two-game scoring total of the year.
“He's really strong,” Key said. “He's talented. He has great footwork. Tenacious rebounder. Every time I turn around to look he has the offensive rebound. Every day he comes hard to work in practice.”
Fifth-year graduate transfer Dale Bonner had 7 points, a season-high six rebounds and two assists with no turnovers. He also made a 3-pointer, only his third in the past nine games while seeing his most minutes in a Big Ten game (25:07) and more than double his playing time in any of the past three games.
The headliner was sophomore Evan Mahaffey, though. The Penn State transfer continued a run of recent strong performances and finished with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also had five rebounds and two steals in 31:41 against his former teammates.
“One of the things I can try to do is give a guy like Dale consistent minutes and try to get in a rhythm,” Holtmann said. “Playing at home always helps for guys coming off the bench. We need to try to settle in on a little bit of a rotation with our bench group, be consistent with it, hope it gets them in a rhythm and gives those guys confidence to go play.”