Ohio State basketball: Freshman guard D’Angelo Russell looks the part of Buckeyes’ leading man

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Thad Matta didn’t have to tell freshman guard D’Angelo Russell that he needed to be better. A simple gesture was all it took. Russell knows that in order for Ohio State to be successful this season, he can’t play the way he did last Tuesday against Marquette when he scored six points, turned the ball over seven times and looked overwhelmed against the first real opponent of his college career. “I didn’t say a whole lot to him, I just kinda raised my eyebrows as if to say, ‘Hey we need a little bit more out of you,'” Matta said Sunday after Russell scored 32 points to lead Ohio State past Sacred Heart 106-48. “Obviously he delivered tonight.”  Sacred Heart isn’t Marquette. Neither comes near the caliber of teams Ohio State will have to beat to win the Big Ten or make a deep tournament run come March. But they will need Russell to play the lights-out basketball he did on Sunday to accomplish those goals. Only Russell doesn’t quite see it that way. He dismissed the opportunity to say Sunday was an example of his ability to take over a game. “I don’t look at it as carry the load,” Russell said. “I just happen to be an OK scorer.” Talk about a classic undersell.  He was 7-for-14 with 17 points at the half, using his quickness to get around overmacthed defenders, and acrobatic moves to finish near the basket. Russell came out on fire in the second half, knocking down a jumper, then three-straight 3-pointers for a personal 11-0 run. Russell is so smooth that sometimes what he’s doing with the basketball doesn’t look as impressive as it actually is. It looked easy on Sunday night. It will get more difficult as the season wears on. …

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