Loving, Russell Guide Buckeyes to Fourth-Straight Rout

By Tim Shoemaker on November 26, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Marc Loving scores against Campbell
Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire
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Marc Loving couldn't figure out what kind of defense Campbell was running, but that didn't stop him from having his best game in an Ohio State uniform.

“I don’t think Campbell knows so I don’t know, either," Loving joked of the Camels' defense after the Buckeyes routed them on Wednesday night, 91-64. "They were in a man-zone, 3-2, 2-3 and that’s about it.”

“They switch a lot so after a couple switches they confused themselves so you just have to take advantage of their confusion because they’ll start arguing with one another," he added. "Just take the lane and see what you can do with it.”

Even though he may not have known what Campbell's defensive alignment was, Loving certainly didn't look baffled. The sophomore from Toledo poured in a career-high 18 points on just 5-of-7 shooting. He also knocked in 7 of his 9 free-throw attempts.

He was aggressive getting to the basket and finished around the rim when he got there. Loving also pulled down three rebounds and blocked two shots.

“How Campbell plays, you really have to attack the basket," Loving said. "I feel like with Shannon (Scott) and D’Angelo (Russell) put me in pretty good positions to be able to get to the rim pretty easily so I just took advantage of those opportunities.”

Loving wasn't alone, however. As has been the case much of the season, the Buckeyes put forth another well-rounded offensive performance. 

Russell, Ohio State's prized freshman, continued to turn heads early in his career, scoring a game-high 22 points, while dishing out seven assists. Sam Thompson and Scott added 11 points and senior big man Amir Williams finished with 10 as all five Buckeye starters reached double figures for the first time since 2011.

"I’ve always said this: The best teams I’ve ever coached had great balance," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. "I think as long as we continue to share the basketball the way we are, I like that fact and guys making shots. You’re hoping in certain games you find a hot hand and ride it as far as you can."

The 16th-ranked Buckeyes entered Wednesday's contest leading the nation in field-goal percentage. That likely won't change, either, after they scorched the nets for a fourth-straight night, shooting 60.7 percent from the field.

But while the performance may look dominating on paper, there are certainly things Ohio State can clean up. It only outscored the Camels by four points in the second half and allowed them to grab 13 offensive rebounds.

The minor flaws weren't enough to make the battle with Campbell competitive, though. It was simply outmatched from the opening tip.

"It’s a learning process no matter who we’re playing," Russell said. "Like I said, we’re not really worrying about our opponent, we’re worrying about our team and trying to get better as a team the best way we can.”

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