Preview: North Florida at No. 7 Ohio State

Ohio State welcomes more fowl to Columbus.

#7 Ohio State 5-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

November 29, 2013 5:00 PM ET - BTN —— The Schott Columbus, OH —— [Tickets]

North Florida 4-3, 0-0 A-SUN Roster | Schedule

So far, the story of the Ohio State men’s basketball season isn’t the unbeaten start or the incredible defensive performance at Marquette. It’s the disappearance and irrelevance of LaQuinton Ross. The junior forward surged to the frontlines of Ohio State’s offensive production during last year’s NCAA Tournament, which created visions of replacing Deshaun Thomas as the Buckeyes’ primary scorer.

But all of that has gone by the wayside during the first five games. In the past three contests, Ross has been benched for a majority of the second half and is just 2 for his last 20. He’s averaging a hair over six points per game, seventh-most on the team.

“LaQuinton has to trust himself,” head coach Thad Matta said. “We’re going to get LaQuinton Ross to play better basketball. We’ll get him to play at the level that he’s capable of playing at. I’m not going to leave his side on that. I think from the standpoint of as I look at the future of this team, I need Q to be playing.”

Even with Ross’ downward trend, Ohio State continues to win basketball games. The Buckeyes are ranked sixth in the Coaches Poll and seventh in the AP. Their defense combined with a talented roster should put them in every game this season. With Amir Williams showing immense improvement, the one missing ingredient is Ross and the offensive potential he can provide.

It’s inevitable that he’ll play to the level he’s capable. He might not do so on a consistent basis, but keep in mind all good shooters have cold spells. Once Ross regains his form, he could take Ohio State to new heights.

“A lot of it is just kind of getting into the flow, getting into the synergy of what we’re doing, not fighting things, probably more mentally than physically,” Matta said. “We’ll find a way to get him playing.”

Opponent

North Florida only returns five players from last year’s team that won 13 games. Freshman point guard Dallas Moore, who’s averaging 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists, guides North Florida. He’s one of three Ospreys averaging double figures scoring. Forward Travis Wallace (7.7 rebounds) is scoring 13.1 points per game and guard Beau Beech is at 10.4 points per game.

Wallace, a member of the preseason all-conference team, is the top returnee. The senior took over a leadership role last year and is poised not only for individual success but also an uptick in team triumphs.

“I want to leave a mark when I leave here,” Wallace said. “I want to make these guys better. When I leave here, I want everyone to remember who Travis Wallace was.”

The Ospreys welcome a shocking number of new players into the program – seven. Four are freshman, three are transfers. But head coach Matthew Driscoll is satisfied with how quickly the group of newcomers has grasped the system at both ends of the floor.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” he said.

Buckeye Breakdown

In back-to-back games, often-maligned center Amir Williams has scored a career-high 16 points and recorded a career-high 16 rebounds. Coinciding with that recent success is the sloppy play of LaQuinton Ross, which has people wondering what’s going on in Columbus.

Williams, a former five-star recruit, is playing the best basketball of his career. After tentative, uninspiring play the previous two seasons, he is now showing a mean streak and being aggressive in the lane. A 2.6-point per game average has soared to double figures this season. Williams is also contributing 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

The star of your 2013 Buckeyes.

“I’m just trying to rebound the ball,” he said after his 16 boards against Wyoming. “Coach told us there would be a lot of opportunity for us to get offensive rebounds tonight and I just took advantage of what the offense had and got those tip-ins. I just took advantage of what they gave me and did what I could.”

In the Buckeyes’ close win over American University last week, it was Williams of all people who spurred the offense. Ohio State shot 35 percent from the field, but Williams made six of nine shots and converted four of his five free throw attempts.

“Thank goodness Amir got us off to a pretty decent start there and was making some shots,” Matta said.

The offseason presented Williams with plenty of time to hone his skills on each end of the floor. The tireless process consisted of him working on post moves, becoming more aggressive on defense and re-directing more balls close to the basket. Williams’ wingspan of nearly 90 inches has come in handy through the first five games.

Matta, defensive-minded to the core, appreciates what Williams brings below the basket, lauding his timing and ball awareness. Teammates have also taken note of the new and improved Williams.

“What we saw [against American] is the Amir we’ve been seeing for the last five, six months,” junior forward Sam Thompson said. “Amir’s put a ton of work in, put countless hours in the gym working on every aspect of his game. He’s really looking to improve on the season that he had last year. Early on this season, it’s been evident by the work that he’s done.”

Said Williams: “I’ve just been working my tail off. I’m starting to feel a lot more confident and making moves in the post, and I just hope I can keep the confidence up and continue to make those moves, continue to make those baskets down low for my team, so I can just try to help them night in and night out.”