Ohio State Guard John Mobley Jr. Out Indefinitely With Right Hand Injury

Ohio State took a significant hit to its NCAA tournament hopes this week after star  guard John Mobley Jr. injured his right hand during Wednesday’s 89–82 win over USC Trojans. The program announced in a press release that Mobley will be sidelined indefinitely.

A statement on John Mobley Jr.’s status. pic.twitter.com/OPFdNGM25g

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 14, 2026

Mobley was injured early in the second half against the Trojans. After the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native committed a turnover on a drive to the hoop, he hustled back on defense in an effort to steal the ball, but pulled up mid-attempt, appearing to injure his pinky finger.

Mobley was pulled from the game just over two minutes into the second half, but returned at the 13:22 mark with his pinky and index fingers taped up. The sophomore hit his only two three-pointers of the game following his return from injury and finished with 13 points in the win.

Despite the injury to his shooting hand, the press release stated that Mobley is slated to return at some point this season.

Mobley has started all 24 games for Ohio State this season and stands as the Buckeyes second-leading scorer, putting up 15.1 points per game and trailing only fellow guard Bruce Thornton, who paces the team with 19.2 points per contest.

Mobley is shooting just 42.2 percent from the field in 2025-26, but has hit an impressive 40 percent of his shots from three-point range. He’s also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

With Mobley out for an unknown period, Ohio State will likely look to Thornton as well as redshirt sophomore guards Taison Chatman and Gabe Cupps to fill the gap. Chatman, who has battled multiple injuries during his Ohio State career, has picked up the pace of late, averaging nearly 10 points per game over his last five contests after putting up 3.9 points per game on the season overall. Cupps, on the other hand, has been more of a defensive piece for the Buckeyes in 2025-26 and is averaging 1.9 points and just over an assist per game.

Ohio State (16-8, 8-6 Big Ten) returns to action Saturday at 8 p.m. when the Buckeyes take on No. 15 Virginia (21-3, 12-2 ACC) in the Nashville Hoops Showdown at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.