Ohio State Buckeyes Standout Forward Gets Major Injury Update

An injury update has been provided about Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal.

Dec 17, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Devin Royal (21) dribbles past Valparaiso Beacons forward Devon Ellis (11) during the second half at Value City Arena. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes' basketball team has been trying to scratch and claw their way back into NCAA Tournament contention. At this point in the season, they are 14-10 and are on the fringe of being knocked out of contention for a spot in March Madness.

While they're facing an uphill battle to get in, Ohio State's confidence has not wavered.

Unfortunately, on Sunday night against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Buckeyes suffered an injury.

Devin Royal, the team's standout forward, went down with an injury and left the arena with a boot on his right ankle. The hope is that the injury isn't serious.

After the game, head coach Jake Diebler spoke out about Royal's status and what happened following the injury.

“We didn’t anticipate him coming back (during the game), then he got cleared to come back and when you see him (laboring) out there, I felt like we needed to get him out,” Diebler said. “He obviously wanted to be out there. Showed a ton of heart to try to play through it. We needed to try to get this one without him so he can have a chance to start recovering.”

Diebler continued on, revealing that he doesn't think the injury is too serious, but that he isn't fully certain of the extent.

“It doesn’t seem like it, but I don’t want to speculate too much,” Diebler said. “It’s too hard to know for sure.”

Royal has had a strong season for Ohio State this season. He has played in 23 games and started in 19 of those appearances.

During those 23 games, Royal has averaged 13.7 points per game to go along with 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 steals. He has shot 53.4 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three-point range.

Right now, Royal is the Buckeyes' leading rebounder this season.

Hopefully, he will be able to get back on the court without missing additional time. Ohio State needs him back on the court in a bad way.

The Buckeyes will face off against the Washington Huskies on Wednesday night, needing a win in a big way. Royal's status for that game is currently unknown.

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