Greg Bartram – USA Today Sports
All season, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been trying to figure out who their go-to scorer would be after losing Deshaun Thomas to the NBA after last season.
Coach Thad Matta was looking for either Lenzelle Smith Jr. or LaQuinton Ross to step up and score for the Buckeyes. Both have been up and down until recently and it seemed as if Ohio State would never find their go-to scorer. They still have not established just who it will be but they seem to be getting closer to finding an answer as the season progresses.
Ross has scored in double figures the past two games and has been shooting well from beyond the arc. His first 12 points against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night all came from three-pointers. Ross has been shooting well all-around the past two games and seems to be re-emerging as the player we remember from last season’s NCAA Tournament. He contributed much to the Ohio State offense during the tournament, averaging 15 points per game during that time. We know he has scoring ability; he just needs to keep it up and try to fill that void left by Thomas.
On Friday night, Ross put up 17 points and eight rebounds in the Buckeyes’ win over the North Florida Ospreys, coming up just one point short of tying Amir Williams for the team lead in that game. He led the team in scoring on Wednesday night in their 76-60 win over the Terrapins with 20 points and six rebounds. Ross had his first career double-double the first game of the season against the Morgan State Bears.
With Ross’s performance on Wednesday night, the Buckeyes seem to be that much closer to finding that one player that they can count on to step up every game and put some points on the board. Is it Ross, or will it be Smith Jr.? It could be either one, but right now Ross seems to be the more likely candidate to fill that role.
We will find out soon enough.
Jenna Aquino is a Big 10 Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, “Like” her on Facebook, add her to your network on Google, or reach her by e-mail at .
