Report: Two Ohio State key forwards out against Michigan State Thursday night

Ohio State’s Zed Key and Kyle Young are both sidelined for tonight’s game against Michigan State, according to a report from Jon Rothstein.

Key’s injury stems back from the beginning of conference play, injuring his ankle in the first half against Penn State all the way back on Jan. 16. The 6-foot-8 Bay Shore, New York-native averages 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on the season and is the Buckeye’s third leading scorer.

Young is dealing with a non-COVID illness. He averages 8.2 points (fourth most on Ohio State) and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Both injuries are a significant loss for the Buckeyes — both forwards combine to average 21 minutes per game, putting more pressure on the starting five when Ohio State tips off against Michigan State live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

Chris Holtmann: Ohio State will ‘be terminal’ come March if defense does not change

There’s been times throughout the 2021-22 college basketball season when Ohio State has played like a top-25 team, and there’s been times when the Buckeyes have played like one of the lower-level teams in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has been inconsistent – and that could play a significant role in their postseason success.

In the month of February, the Buckeyes went 5-3 – with losses to Rutgers, Iowa and Maryland. Their loss to Maryland last Sunday came just three days after they recorded an upset win over No. 15 ranked Illinois on the road.

Needing to get back on track in the final week of the regular season, the No. 23 ranked Buckeyes have done the exact opposite – opening the month of March with a 78-70 home loss to Nebraska on Tuesday night, which marked the team’s third loss in their last five games. 

One of the primary reasons for Ohio State’s recent struggles has been its lack of defensive intensity – and Buckeyes’ head coach Chris Holtmann will be the first to say it. 

“There’s very few teams that defend the way we defend right now and advance in the NCAA Tournament,” Holtmann said. “That’s the reality. Those numbers – we’ve talked about those numbers as a group. … That’s the reality. 

“Obviously, we’ve got to get healthy – that’s a big component. We’ve got to get healthy and stay healthy. But if we don’t defend and rebound, we’ll be terminal.”