How John Mobley Jr. Powered Ohio State to Overtime Win Over Minnesota

Ohio State defeated Minnesota 82-74 in an overtime battle to improve to 5-3 in conference play.

Ohio State started the game hot, opening on a 10-0 run over the first four and a half minutes — with 5 of those points coming from John Mobley Jr. — forcing Minnesota to call a timeout and regroup.

After their impressive first five minutes, the Buckeyes went on a nearly five-minute field goal drought, during which Minnesota was able to claw their way back and take the lead 16-12.

Head coach Jake Diebler said that stretch came down to being stagnant and allowing turnovers.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball,” Diebler said. “For us, when we’re moving and that ball is moving, we’re really hard to guard. When we get stagnant and guys stand and we don’t go to the offensive glass, it’s a lot easier to guard. We’ve got to quit having those stretches quite honestly.”

Despite some slower stretches, the Buckeyes were up 31-28 at halftime, and came out in the second with back-to-back buckets from Bruce Thornton and Mobley Jr.

For the second straight game, Mobley Jr. was a spark plug offensively and led the way in scoring, finishing with 26 points, shooting 5-of-11 from three.

Thornton — who went nearly 15 minutes into the game without scoring — showed up in all of the crucial moments down the stretch, finishing with 23 points.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) dribbles the ball against Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Devin Royal also scored 16 while Christoph Tilly added 11.

Amare Bynum was uncharacteristically scoreless and only took one shot the entire game, but Diebler wasn’t overly concerned.

“He’s a freshman and 18 years old,” Diebler said. “He’s entitled to have an off night. He had a couple defensive breakdowns there that we felt like we needed to go with a different lineup. But what that young man has done so far this season has been nothing short of really impressive and special. He and I talked after the game, and I anticipate him having a great practice tomorrow. I have a high level of belief in him, I love coaching him.”

In a second half riddled with lead changes, regulation time ended with a score of 67-67.

Ohio State controlled overtime, highlighted by a steal from Colin White in the half court and a full-court layup — his first bucket of the day — to make it 76–71 with 1:49 remaining.

Ohio State will use this overtime win to fuel them for their rivalry game against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. in Ann Arbor — the first of two outings against Michigan this season.

“It’s a game that should be played twice a year, I’m glad the Big Ten did that, and it should be that way always and forever,” Diebler said. “We’re going to go up there and give it our absolute best, and we are going to prepare our absolute best for this game. This game means more. Make no mistake, it’s this way in every single sport, this game means a little bit more.”