Fansided

Ohio State’s tournament bubble may burst without Kaleb Wesson

By Brad Berreman

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 17: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during game action against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on February 17, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 17: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during game action against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on February 17, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State Buckeyes are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and center Kaleb Wesson has been suspended for what looks to be the rest of the regular season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat No. 22 Iowa 90-70 on Tuesday night, and at 18-10 (8-9 in the Big Ten) they are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. But with three regular season games left, head coach Chris Holtmann announced Friday that center Kaleb Wesson has been suspended for a violation of athletic department policy.

Wesson is coming off one of his better games of the season, with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks against the Hawkeyes.

Wesson is the Buckeyes’ leading scorer (14.6 points per game) and rebounder (6.7 per game) this season, so he’ll clearly be missed. They currently sit as a No. 9 seed for the NCAA Tournament in the latest Bracketology from CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, but a road game against No. 14 Purdue on Saturday will be a tough one and Ohio State closes the regular season at home against No. 19 Wisconsin. In between is a road game against Northwestern, which will be no bargain itself.

A return this season for Wesson has been made clear from the start via the school’s release announcing the suspension. But when might he be back?

According to CBS Sports, the sophomore big man is likely to return in time to play in the Big Ten Tournament from March 13-17. So it looks like a three-game suspension, with the Buckeyes probably needing two wins without him to make a deep run in the conference tournament a moot point.

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The Buckeyes lack size, with only Wesson, Kyle Young and Jaedon LeDee listed a 6-foot-8 or taller on the roster. LeDee has barely played so far this season (six minutes per game in 23 games) and will probably play more in Wesson’s absence, but Young (20.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds per game) is in line to start over the next three games while Wesson sits.