Meechie Johnson Jr. takes leave of absence at Ohio State, Aaron Bradshaw remains out

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (1) shoots over Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jeremiah Williams (25) during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Ohio State won 80-66. (© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State could be seriously shorthanded when it takes on Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in New York City on Saturday. Aaron Bradshaw returned to team activities for the Buckeyes on Dec. 9, but has still not played since Nov. 19 after being investigated by the school for an alleged “domestic incident,” as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.

The former Wildcat was ruled out by OSU in the mandatory Big Ten Availability Report ahead of the team’s matchup vs. Valparaiso on Tuesday, leaving his status against UK up in the air. Also included in the report? Fifth-year guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who is taking a leave of absence from the team to “address some personal matters,” according to Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch via a team spokesman.

Johnson spent his first two seasons at OSU before transferring to South Carolina for the next two years, then returned to Columbus for his final season of eligibility. He’s second on the team in minutes played at 28.8 per contest with 10 starts, scoring 9.1 points per game on 35.7 percent from three. The 6-2 guard was an All-SEC member last season for the Gamecocks after averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Senior guard Ques Glover (3.7 PPG) and freshman forward Colin White (3.3 PPG) are both out for OSU vs. Valpo on Tuesday, as well.

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Ohio State is 6-4 on the year with wins over Texas, Youngstown State, Evansville, Campbell, Green Bay and Rutgers to go with losses to Texas A&M, Pitt, Maryland and Auburn. Jake Diebler’s squad is currently ranked No. 34 in the NET and No. 36 by KenPom.

The Wildcats will take on the Buckeyes inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5:30 p.m. ET. What might that roster look like in the Big Apple? We’ll find out in the coming days — but it’s not super promising, especially coming off a 38-point loss to No. 2 Auburn.