Ohio State will be without its top wing off the bench as it opens the NIT.
Freshman guard Scotty Middleton, who collected 11 points in the Buckeyes' Big Ten Tournament win over Iowa on Thursday, is out attending to a family matter for their first-round NIT matchup with Cornell, an Ohio State spokesperson confirmed.
The spokesperson specified that it is not an emergency for the Middleton family and that Middleton has not entered the transfer portal. If Ohio State advances to the second round of the NIT, Middleton is expected to be back.
Middleton has averaged 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.4 steals across 30 games for the Buckeyes this year. He's missed three previous contests this season, two with injury and one for a suspension following a team rules violation.
All other players are expected to be available for Ohio State against the Big Red.
In Middleton's place, Ohio State should lean more heavily on forward Devin Royal to give it an additional wing-scoring option. Shooting guards Dale Bonner and Bowen Hardman could also see more action while starting small forward Evan Mahaffey might be called upon to play more minutes himself.
The second-seeded Buckeyes tip off against seventh-seeded Cornell in the first round of the NIT at 7 p.m. in Value City Arena. ESPN2 is set to televise the affair.
