Ohio State's already thin roster just got thinner for its Big Ten tilt against Penn State on Monday.
Starting center Christoph Tilly and guard Gabe Cupps, the Buckeyes' sixth man since Brandon Noel suffered a major foot injury, are both out vs. the Nittany Lions. Reserve wing Mathieu Grujicic is also sidelined.
Tilly's provided a boost to Ohio State's offense since transferring from Santa Clara, averaging 12.3 points and 2.6 assists per game, though his defense, rebounding and shooting have had their inconsistencies. With he and Noel both out, the Buckeyes will now likely turn to sophomore center Ivan Njegovan to start in Tilly's place. He averages 2.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, but also 0.8 turnovers in just 10.7 minutes per game.
Small forward Colin White is in line to be Ohio State's sixth man in Cupps' place. He, guard Taison Chatman and recently-added sixth-year senior wing Puff Johnson are the only relatively playable bench players the Buckeyes will have against the Nittany Lions. Unless the 6-foot-8 but 190-pound Johnson can play some power forward, any rest for OSU's frontcourt will have to come by shifting Devin Royal from small to power forward. Freshman Amare Bynum will undoubtedly play some small-ball center to rest Njegovan when needed.
There is also a possibility that Ohio State starts its small-ball lineup with White starting at small forward. Chatman will need to give good minutes whenever star guards Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. require a break. Johnson could also play shooting guard in a pinch.
Fortunately for Ohio State, Penn State is perhaps the weakest team in the Big Ten this year, with an 0-8 mark in conference play. Still, the Nittany Lions came within two points of beating No. 3 Michigan earlier this season. There are no gimmes, and the Buckeyes are far below 100 percent entering the contest.
Tipoff between Ohio State and Penn State is at 7 p.m. on FS1.
