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Ohio State center Jared Sullinger left Saturday's game after injuring his foot. He was initially diagnosed with a bone bruise, but it's now believed he injured a tendon. Either way, he's not expected to miss any games.
Ohio St. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta expects star Jared Sullinger, who has missed two recent games with back spasms and left Saturday's game with a foot injury, to play against Lamar Tuesday night (via AP):
"I’m expecting him to play, just from what he’s saying, how much better it felt yesterday than it did on Saturday and how much better it feels today than it did on Sunday," said Matta, who picked up his 200th Ohio State win in Saturday’s game.
Sullinger had previously said that he had been kicked on the ankle, but Matta clarified, saying it was later determined to be an injured tendon.
Ohio State struggled without Sullinger in the first half of this weekend's win against South Carolina. The Buckeyes have locked down on defense in the second half and secured a safe lead en route to victory.
Sullinger is averaging 16.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
For more on Ohio State, visit Buckeyes blog Along the Olentangy.
Ohio State head coach Thad Matta had little to say about Jared Sullinger's injured left foot after Saturday's win against South Carolina, aside from relief that the star forward avoided more serious injury.
"We think he'll be fine," Matta said, according to the AP. "We're just happy there wasn't a break in there."
Sullinger suffered a bone bruise when he was kicked in the left foot in the first half. He briefly returned after having his foot worked on for several minutes by trainers on the sidelines, but he was badly limping and eventually left the game to undergo X-rays, which did not reveal a fracture. From the AP:
Results of the X-rays showed no fracture in the foot. Still, team spokesman Dan Wallenberg said it was too soon to know when Sullinger might play again. Ohio State faces Lamar on Tuesday and Miami of Ohio on Thursday before opening Big Ten Conference play against Northwestern on Dec. 28.
Matta had yet to speak with Sullinger about the injury. "They told me, `He's OK.' I said, `Fine, I'll go do this stuff" of coaching a highly-ranked basketball team.
Sullinger was playing in just his second game since returning from a two-game absence due to back spasms. He scored three points with two rebounds and a block in six minutes before leaving. In his absence, Deshaun Thomas, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, stepped up with a career-high 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting.
The win was Thad Matta's 200th since taking over as Ohio State's head coach in 2004.
Jared Sullinger's foot injury could keep him out for a while. But, at this moment, it appears there is nothing more serious to it than the previously reported bruised foot; Ohio State informed media in the second half of the Buckeyes' game at South Carolina that X-rays on the foot revealed no fracture, and ESPN's Mike Patrick said as much on the broadcast of the game.
Sullinger left the game in the first half with an apparent foot injury, tried walking on it on the sideline, and eventually left the site to head to a hospital for X-rays.
Sullinger, obviously, will not return to this game.
Ohio State struggled without Sullinger in the first half, and trailed at halftime, but the Buckeyes have locked down on defense in the second half and have secured a lead that is occasionally pushing into double digits.
Update: Ohio State was able to maintain their lead, winning 74-66 behind 30 points from Deshaun Thomas. We'll have more on Sullinger's injury as information becomes available, but for now he's listed as day to day with a bone bruise:
Official Jared Sullinger diagnosis from Buckeyes. Jared Sullinger has a bone bruise in his left foot. He is listed as day-to-day.
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) December 17, 2011
For more on Ohio State, visit Buckeyes blog Along the Olentangy.
Jared Sullinger's return from injury before Ohio State's Big Ten schedule has hit a snag in the form of another, different injury. Sullinger left Saturday's game against South Carolina with a bruised foot, and will have it X-rayed, according to Sporting News' Ryan Fagan. Sullinger's status against the Gamecocks in the second half is uncertain; Ohio State trailed South Carolina, 33-29, at the half.
Sullinger is recovering from back spasms that kept him out of Ohio State's games against Texas-Pan American and Kansas; the Kansas game gave the Buckeyes their first loss of the season. He returned on Wednesday against South Carolina Upstate at home in Columbus, and had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in that outing.
But Sullinger's foot problem could be far more serious if it is anything more than a bruise — Ohio State struggling against a South Carolina team that scares no one is evidence that it is not nearly the same team without their star big man.
For more on Ohio State, visit Buckeyes blog Along the Olentangy.
No. 2 Ohio State Vs. Lamar: Jared Sullinger Shows He's Healthy With Double-Double
Though he left his last game with a bruised foot, Ohio State power forward Jared Sullinger came back in a big way in the Buckeyes' 70-50 victory over Lamar, tallying 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, completing his double-double early in the second half.
Sullinger has missed most of three of the Buckeyes' last four games, two with back spasms, and leaving the last game early with his foot injury. Neither seemed to slow him down Tuesday night against Lamar, as the 6-foot-9 sophomore All-American was a relentless force on both ends, as he usually is.
The Buckeyes, ranked behind only Syracuse, will need Sullinger for the start of Big 10 play, as the conference looks especially deep this year with contenders in Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State, not to mention perennial quality teams in Purdue and illinois.
For more on Sullinger and the Buckeyes' win, visit Ohio State blog Along The Olentagy.
Dec 20 10:49p by Ethan Rothstein - 0 comments