Ohio State F Brice Sensabaugh OUT For Remainder of Season

Who knows how long the Ohio State Buckeyes will continue to play basketball this season, but they will have to do so without forward Brice Sensabaugh.

Author:
Casey Smith
Mar 11, 2023 12:04 PM EST

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brice Sensabaugh's freshman season is over, according to a release.

After missing his first game of the season Friday against Michigan State with knee soreness, Sensabaugh went through evaluations last night and it was determined there was an injury that would hold him out of the rest of the year, the release stated.

"Brice has had an outstanding freshman season and played very well down the stretch," head coach Chris Holtmann said in a statement. "I know how badly he wanted to play, and we are disappointed for him."

Sensabaugh bumped knees while setting a screen against Iowa Thursday and did not play the remaining 3:14 against the Hawkeyes.

The Orlando, FL. native led the Buckeyes and is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game — the most among all conference freshmen — in 24.5 minutes per game, the fifth-most on Ohio State. Michigan guard Jett Howard was the next-closest freshman scorer to Sensabaugh, finishing 13th in the Big Ten at 14.2 points per game.

The Buckeyes are in the midst of a Big Ten Tournament run, facing the Purdue Boilermakers in the semifinals Saturday. If they win the tournament, they will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State will rely on guards Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Sean McNeil and forward Justice Sueing to assume the scoring load lost in Sensabaugh's absence.

Sensabaugh's 537 points on the year are the fourth-most ever by a freshman in program history.

There is speculation that he could be the second freshman in as many years to depart the Buckeyes' program for the NBA Draft, as Malaki Branham did so after last season.

Sensabaugh is a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

"We are proud of him and his continued development as a player," Holtmann said in a release. "I know he's looking forward to supporting his teammates again today."