Ohio State will be without its leading scorer against Michigan State.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh was ruled out of Friday's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup at the United Center in Chicago due to knee soreness, per a release from the program.
Freshman Brice Sensabaugh (knee soreness) is unavailable for today's game vs Michigan State. pic.twitter.com/9gXKnz6ZsC
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 10, 2023
Sensabaugh, who leads the Buckeyes with 16.3 points per game this season, hadn't previously missed a game all season.
The third-team All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree scored 16 points in Ohio State's upset win over Iowa on Thursday, but subbed out of the game with 3:17 remaining on the clock and didn't return thereafter.
In an interview before Friday’s game on Big Ten Network, Chris Holtmann said Sensabaugh suffered a knee injury “late in the game” on Thursday against Iowa and is still being evaluated, which is why he is being held out against Michigan State.
“He’s being evaluated, and I think it’s clearly the right move. It needs to be evaluated further before he’s ready to play,” Holtmann said. “He’s in the process of continuing to be evaluated. Tests are being done, we’ll go from there.”
Sensabaugh's absence is a big blow for the Buckeyes, who are a 3.5-point underdog in their 2:30 p.m. matchup with the fourth-seeded Spartans. Ohio State lost both games against Michigan State during the regular season.
“It’s obviously going to take a tremendous effort (to beat Michigan State without Sensabaugh),” Holtmann said in his pregame interview. “We’re going to need some guys to make shots in Brice’s absence.”
