ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Coming into the 2016-17 season, many saw JaQuan Lyle as one of Ohio State's most vital pieces. On opening night, however, it was transfer guard C.J. Jackson who stole the show, playing all but three second-half minutes while Lyle sat the bench.
Lyle struggled mightily in the first half on both sides of the ball. The starter managed just three points in the game coming on a corner shot from behind the arc with under a minute to play in the first half. He was also a liability on defense for most of the half.
"Quan was really, really struggling on the defensive end of the floor," said Ohio State head coach Thad Matta. "He was trying to make some home run plays."
With Lyle not getting it done, Matta elected to go with Jackson, the junior college transfer from Eastern Florida State, and his quickness and uptempo game provided exactly what the Buckeyes needed.
"I think he's a little Energizer Bunny." -Kam Williams
"C.J. (Jackson) just kept the ball moving," Matta said. "With the matchup they were playing, we were telling the guys, the best friend we had was ball movement. We wanted to force them into rotation, we wanted to force them into long close outs."
With Jackson in the game, the Buckeyes could play a little more aggressive defensively as well, with Kam Williams joining him in the press or with Jackson locking down the opposition at the top of the arc.
“I think he’s a little Energizer Bunny," Williams said after the game. "He’s all over the place; super quick, active hands. He gets so many deflections for us and it just ignited us in the second half and that’s what we needed."
Jackson finished the game with a team-high nine assists combined with four points and six rebounds – quite the coming out party.
Jackson's performance leaves the Buckeyes in an awkward place – do they remain loyal to Lyle, who's been one of the team's more consistent players, or feed the hot hand?
"The old saying, playing better is an option," Matta said. "Obviously, we need him, JaQuan (Lyle) to play his best basketball. I think from the standpoint of tonight what we needed, C.J. (Jackson) was able to get that going for us. I have no question (Lyle) can bounce back. He's a tremendous player. But you gotta play better."
