Nobody enjoyed the two-game home-stand for the Ohio State basketball team quite like John Mobley Jr. did, as he looks like he's finding his rhythm with a pair of dynamite performances.
After a career-high 28-point outburst against UCLA, where Mobley connected on 6 threes, he followed that up with 26 points and 5 made threes in the overtime win vs Minnesota. It's the best two-game stretch of his Ohio State career, and it led them to a couple of key Big Ten wins.
Different @jmobleyjr 😈 pic.twitter.com/dfP90rzvQo
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 21, 2026
Even though he was hot from deep in these two games, he was also playmaking and attacking off the dribble at a high level, too. He had multiple strong drives and finishes at the basket, was navigating ball screens extremely well, setting up others, and exploiting mismatches. All things Mobley needed to improve on this offseason, and that leap is very evident now.
Mobley playing at this level is also big for the rest of the Ohio State basketball team, as the offense is looking the best it has all season, and it's really been helping take some pressure off Bruce Thornton. Mobley has been the story of the last two games, while Thornton has almost quietly had big performances as well.
In the last three games, Thornton is averaging 24 points on 56.8% shooting from the field, along with pulling down 6.3 rebounds in this stretch. We're now starting to see Thornton get consistent help offensively, allowing him to play more off-ball, and that's really benefiting his play.
Devin Royal has been strong this season so far as well, but even in these last two games, his play looked elevated. He had 22 points on 70% shooting and 9 rebounds against UCLA, and accompanied that performance with 16 points and 5 rebounds against Minnesota while making some big plays down the stretch in that win.
There's no question that Ohio State is at its best when its core of Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., and Devin Royal are giving this type of production. Now they've strung together strong performances in consecutive games, and that is a great sign for maybe getting some consistency from this trio moving forward.
Tonight, they take a step up in weight class as they're up in Ann Arbor, taking on No. 3 Michigan in their first meeting of the season. This level of play from Ohio State's core has to continue tonight, and more for them to keep this game competitive.