Moments after helping the Ohio State men’s basketball team take down No. 8 Purdue, sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. told a national television audience that there’s more to come.
Perched on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks to a two-game losing streak, the Buckeyes now could be tracking toward finding their way into March Madness after the win against the Boilermakers. Ohio State improved to 18-11 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten while adding a signature Quad 1 win to its resume with its 82-74 win against the Boilermakers.
After the win, and as Ohio State’s fans stormed the court to celebrate, Mobley was asked by CBS analyst and Purdue alumnus Robbie Hummel if the Buckeyes were going to the NCAA Tournament.
“Got to,” he said with a smile. “And we’re going to make a run. Promise that.”
The Buckeyes entered the weekend projected as one of the final teams on the right side of the cut line according to USA Today’s bracket projection, but ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed them as the second team in the first four out when publishing a March 1 update prior to the Purdue game.
Ohio State will close the regular season this week with a March 4 game at Penn State and a home showdown with Indiana on March 7.
Against Purdue, Mobley led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting while playing with his right pinky and ring fingers taped together due to injury.
Later on CBS, former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was likewise optimistic about Ohio State’s future.
“This puts them in the Dance … and they could be a tough matchup,” he said.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. promises NCAA Tournament run after Purdue win
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
