rattled off five straight wins, th | Forum
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Aug 1 '19
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first time that Ohio States LaQuinton Ross took a shot, North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll knew it was going to be a long night. Darwin Thompson Jersey. Ross broke out of a frigid shooting spell by scoring 17 points Friday night and the seventh-ranked Buckeyes rode a 19-point first-half run to a 99-64 victory over the overmatched Ospreys. "He hit that first 3 from the corner and I started thinking to myself, Oh, Lord. Here we go," said Driscoll, who has known Ross since he was in middle school. Ross hit 6-of-9 shots from the field and 4-of-7 3-pointers after struggling all year to find his range. The 6-foot-8 junior with a silky touch had a terrific run in the NCAA tournament a year ago, coming off the bench to give the Buckeyes instant offence on the way to the regional championship game. This year he was expected to replace departed Big Ten scoring leader Deshaun Thomas, but came in shooting just 22 per cent from the field and averaging 6.2 points a game. Over the last the three games he was only 2 for 20 from the field including 1 for 8 behind the arc. But he came out cool and confident against the Ospreys. He hit all four shots from the field -- including both 3-pointers -- while picking up 10 points in the opening half as Ohio State built a 48-29 lead. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta couldnt have been happier to see the ice thaw on Ross jumper. "LaQuinton got into a little bit of a groove," he said. "He and I talked the other day. I just said, Look, we cant make shots for you. We cant think for you out there on the court. I told him we were going to put him in positions to be successful. He was probably humbled a little bit the way hes shot the ball the last few games. It was great to see the ball go in for him." From watching Ross on video, Driscoll said it appeared he was unsure of everything. "Sometimes when you watch him on tape, it looks like he might not be locked in, like he might not be sure what his role is, what shot he should take," he said. "Is it a good shot? Is it a bad shot? Am I (a guard)? Am I (a forward)? Should I go to the (NBA) early? Should I come back? To his credit, for some reason, he seemed to be locked in." Ross hot shooting carried over to the rest of the Buckeyes, too. They came in shooting 42 per cent on the season but shot 69 per cent against North Florida-- the sixth-best shooting percentage in program history. Amir Williams and Amedeo Della each hit career highs for the Buckeyes (6-0), with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Aaron Craft added 16 points, making his first 3-pointer of the season, while Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 10. "When guys see other guys make shots, it boosts everyones confidence," Smith said. "It makes everybody think, Why cant I be the guy to make the next shot? That stuff catches on fire and guys start swinging the ball and getting wide-open shots." Beau Beech and Dallas Moore each had 14 points and Charles McRoy 11 for North Florida (4-4), which fell to 0-16 against ranked teams and 0-6 against teams in the Top 10. The Buckeyes made their first eight shots from the field while overcoming a 6-5 deficit with a 19-0 run to take the lead for good. Craft had three layups, Williams and Smith Jr. each had five points and Ross hit a 3 in the spurt. North Florida came back to score 14 of the next 18 -- Beech hit two 3s and Davenport added one -- to cut the lead to 28-20. But the Buckeyes led 48-29 at the break and then scored 11 of the first 13 points in the second half with Ross scoring four early points. It was the 100th collegiate win for Craft and Smith Jr., who reached that figure in 119 games -- faster than any Ohio State player. "As I told the guys at shootaround, this game today was about getting those two guys their 100th win," Matta said. "If you stop and think about how quick they got there -- 119 games to get 100 wins -- its amazing. And Ive never been prouder of two guys." Christian Okoye Youth Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. Joe Montana Chiefs Jersey . Giants manager Bruce Bochy told The Associated Press of the decision before NL West-leading San Francisco opened a 10-game homestand Monday night with the first of three games against second-place Arizona.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- There were moments of frustration for Kansas coach Bill Self, moments where hed angrily call a timeout or attend a post-game news conference and glumly bemoan another uneven performance. There never was a moment where he lost faith in his team. Now, after enduring the nations most brutal non-conference schedule, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks are proving to be exactly what the pundits thought theyd be: The Big 12s premier team, one that already has a substantial lead in the conference as the race nears its midway point. "We have grown, but were just now to the middle of the season. Thats whats so strange," Self said. "The big thing is that were playing with more energy and were starting to understand how were going to score -- not just running an offence to run an offence. Were not a tough team by any stretch, but are playing tougher than we did earlier in the season." Thats certainly been evident in the results. After a loss to fifth-ranked San Diego State ended the Jayhawks 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has ripped off seven straight wins through arguably the toughest part of its league schedule. It began with a win at No. 23 Oklahoma, and continued with wins over four straight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. After a blowout win at TCU, the Jayhawks beat the No. 16 Cyclones for a second time on Wednesday night. Now, theyll head to No. 25 Texas with essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12. You catch the game on TSN2 on Saturday at 12am et/9pm pt. "Im not surprised at all," junior guard Naadir Tharpe said. "I knew it was going to be a matter of time until everybody just let water run off their back and start going out there and just playing. That is what I feel like dudes are doing right now." The most important of them may be Andrew Wiggins, the highly touted freshman. After fits and starts to begin his college career, the 6-foot-8 swingman and projected lottery pick in the Junee draft has gone on a tear. Mecole Hardman Jersey. Wiggins scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Horned Frogs, and then bested it with 29 points against the Cyclones earlier this week. Hes averaging more than 24 points over his past three games. "I would say I feel more comfortable on the court," Wiggins said this week. "A lot of things are slowing down for me and my teammates are looking for me." Hes also starting to create his own shot, something that he was reticent to do early in the season, prompting Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to say hes "oozing with confidence. "Thats scary," Hoiberg said. "With that athleticism, that length and that speed, the kids got it all. When hes knocking down shots, not too many better." There arent many teams better than the Jayhawks right now. Since the start of league play, the nine-time defending champions are putting up a Big 12-leading 84 points per game. Theyre just a half-point out of second place in scoring defence, and their scoring margin of 12 points per game is seven better than second-place Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) also lead the league in field-goal and 3-point percentage, rebounding defence and margin, blocked shots, assists and, well, you get the idea. "They have a special group," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "At every position, they have somebody who can score. They can attack you, so you really have to be on your toes." After the Jayhawks, Texas may be the next hottest team in the Big 12 heading into Saturdays game. The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2) have rattled off five straight wins, the last three coming against ranked teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. The Jayhawks will represent the first time in school history that Texas will have played four consecutive Top 25 opponents. "Theyre young. Theyre not quite as young as we are, but theyre young and fast, probably as fast as any team well play," Self said. "Theyre obviously playing their tails off." ' ' '
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