John Mobley Jr. made a strong statement after Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament loss to TCU that may tell whether or not he’ll return to Columbus
Ohio State went one and done in the postseason with a loss to TCU. Their star player spoke out after the NCAA Tournament loss.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had a late-season surge help them land in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State’s run in the postseason didn’t last past one game, as the No. 8 Buckeyes fell to No. 9 TCU by a score of 66-64.
Ohio State faced a 15-point deficit at halftime down 39-24. The Buckeues put together a strong second half and were able to lead by as many as two possessions, but late-game errors kept them from moving on to the round of 32.
John Mobley Jr.’s comment after Ohio State’s season ended in the NCAA Tournament is important
Ohio State’s high man against the Horned Frogs was sophomore G John Mobley Jr. with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting. Mobley nailed a pair of three-pointers in the second half and had 10 points in the second 20 minutes to ignite the Buckeyes’ run, but it wasn’t enough.
“It’s definitely fuel to the fire, and it’s going to be motivation for me every day for the summer coming up and the work I’m ready to put in to make sure we get back in this position and go farther next time,” Mobley said after the game.
Mobley’s comment first off sounds a lot like a guy who will be returning to Columbus for his junior season. Ohio State being able to return their second leading scorer Mobley (15.7 points per game) next season would be huge. In this era of college sports, it’s free agency every offseason with the transfer portal, especially for teams that aren’t seeing a whole lot of success. Ohio State falls right there.
Ohio State will be losing the program’s all-time leading scorer in Thornton (20.2 points per game), as well as starting center Christoph Tilly (11 points per game).
Mobley, current freshman Amare Bynum, forward Devin Royal, and incoming five-star recruit Anthony Thompson will be the face of the program in 2026-2027 as long as everyone returns.
Mobley’s comment sounds like a player eager to return to Ohio State and improve on being mocked in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.