The Ohio State bench mustered all of eight points in last Wednesday’s loss to Rutgers.
Cedric Russell alone scored 12 points in Saturday’s 68-57 win against Michigan, leading a group of reserves that nearly tripled the aforementioned output they tallied in a demoralizing defeat to the Scarlet Knights. During a game in which he played 24 minutes, more than he’d played in any previous game all year, the Louisiana transfer came up big on both sides of the ball against Ohio State’s archrival, illustrating the type of contributions he envisioned making when he decided to join the program.
“I didn’t come to waste my time. I came to win and make a statement,” Russell said after the win. “This team is special. We have a great group of guys and we really can do something this year.”
Ohio State and Michigan appeared to be on different trajectories before the ball was tipped at the Crisler Center. Despite being ranked No. 16 in the country, the Buckeyes were the underdogs, given their late collapse at Rutgers and recent struggles on the road. By contrast, the Wolverines were just two days removed from a 24-point upset win over the No. 3 team in the country (Purdue), a game in which Michigan appeared to have finally put together its many talented parts.
But even if a 28-point performance from Ohio State star forward E.J. Liddell could feasibly have been foreseen ahead of time, few would have anticipated the Buckeyes receiving the kind of boost it got from an often underutilized bench performer in a hostile environment.
The absence of freshman guard Meechie Johnson, who was out with an ankle injury, might have freed Russell up for a few more early minutes, but it was quickly evident on Saturday that he was deserving of more playing time. Russell finished the first half with seven points, second only to Liddell’s 11, as he hit three of his six shot attempts.
All three of Russell’s first-half makes were important ones for the Buckeyes. A 3-pointer at the 8:28 mark, his first shot of the game, tied things up 14-all and broke up what would otherwise have been an 8-0 run for the Wolverines. A Russell jumper two minutes later gave Ohio State a 19-16 lead, its largest of the game, and the grad transfer hit a layup with 1:06 left in the opening frame that put Ohio State up three after it trailed just 37 seconds earlier.
“It didn’t just start this night. It started earlier this week throughout practice and stuff, continuing to build those good habits, and tonight it showed,” Russell said. “Not getting discouraged with anything, just staying in the moment and staying ready.”
Both of Russell’s second-half buckets were significant as well. With 13:26 to play, Russell displayed his confidence by pulling up for a deep three from the top of the arc over the outstretched arm of 7-foot-1 Wolverine center Hunter Dickinson. The ambitious attempt hit nothing but net, and the score gave Ohio State a 10-point lead – its largest of the game at that point.
Russell’s final score, an outside jumper at the 3:32 mark, answered a Dickinson jumper to put Michigan down just six points in what could have sparked a promising push for the Wolverines late.
But Russell’s contributions were not limited to the offensive end. With 8:03 to play, Russell drew a charge on Michigan guard Frankie Collins, who attempted to dunk the ball from outside the restricted zone. Two points there could have cut it to a six-point deficit for Michigan, but the Buckeyes got the ball back instead.
“Cedric’s plays were, I thought, in some ways the difference in the game,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “The charge he took, the two loose balls, the offensive pop he gave us, I thought he was tremendous.”
So impressive was Russell that Holtmann admitted after the game he might have to tinker with the Buckeyes’ rotations in order to give Russell the necessary playing time to get into a groove.
“He’s gotta keep doing that. He’s not always gonna have a game like this, but I thought his defense is the reason (he played more),” Holtmann said. “And we had a shorter rotation tonight, so in some ways, maybe that helped him get in a little bit better rhythm. Maybe I gotta look at that, shortening a little bit more. I don’t know. But he was phenomenal.”
Liddell was as usual the foremost star for the Buckeyes, notching the 10th 20-point game of his stellar junior season, but even he said Russell was “huge” for Ohio State’s success in Ann Arbor.
“I feel like people know Cedric is a great scorer no matter when and where. Coach puts him in the game, I feel like he’s gonna get a bucket,” Liddell said. “He’s crucial. I tell everybody to stay ready. Everybody’s going to have their big moments, and we’re gonna need everybody down the stretch.”
Finally given a bit more freedom in terms of both playing time and offensive responsibility, Russell looked like a player that could be an X-factor for the Buckeyes as the stretch run of the regular season rolls on.
“It was fun, man, it was fun,” Russell said. “These guys, they see everything that I can do in practice. (Liddell) always tells me to stay ready, so just really being able to go out there and show that tonight, it was really fun.”
