The Columbus Dispatch is reportingthat Ohio State sophomore Jared Sullinger has an undisclosed back injury and will miss at least their next game vs. UT-Pan Am this weekend, and will probably miss more time.
Obviously this impacts Kansas as we are slated to take on the Buckeyes a week from tomorrow. Beyond the obvious sentiment of not wishing injury on anyone and hoping Sullinger is OK on that front I am really disappointed about this news as I was looking forward to see how the more athletic Thomas Robinson would matchup against the skilled Sullinger. Both guys are possible top 10 NBA draft picks next June so the number of NBA scouts in the building and general hype around the game would have been (or still could be) amazing.
While this makes Ohio State a lot worse, it also in a way puts more pressure on the Jayhawks. If they lose to a Sullinger-less Buckeye team I imagine we might see a similar situation fan-wise to 2008-09 when many people thought the team just didn't have it. Ohio State sans Sullinger isn't UMass but it's probably a 50-50 coin flip to beat them.
Like Thomas Robinson, Sullinger is averaging a double double, leading the Buckeyes with 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.