This has been buzzing around for 24 hours, but it’s now been confirmed by Jeff Goodman that Ohio State superstar and November NPOY favorite Evan Turner will return to the court this evening in the Buckeyes’ home game against Indiana. It was a little bizarre how everyone in Hoops Nation seemed to forget about Turner as soon as he broke several vertebrae in his back in a nasty fall versus Eastern Michigan. We wrote in this space a month ago that Ohio State would be lucky to go .500 while he was out (expecting him to be on the mend until early February), and they’ve gone 3-3, losing all of their away games. After tonight’s game against IU, the Buckeyes face games at Minnesota and Purdue, with a home game against Wisconsin. OSU needs Turner back on the floor, and in a big way. Even if he’s not 100% tonight or this weekend, his presence will go a long way toward keeping his team focused and calm. This is great news for the Buckeyes, and even better news for college basketball.
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I find this surprising. If there is no chance of him getting hurt, then by all means he should play. He won't log major minutes tonight, at least one would think due to him coming off the injury and Indiana, and hopefully he stays healthy. They need Turner, and he's had a great year. I hope things turn out well for the Villain.
Can you imagine the applause when he comes off the bench to check in (assuming he doesn't start)? This guy is particularly legendary around Columbus for being a top-drawer guy, not to mention his game.
Should be fun to see.
John Stevens
RTC