D'Angelo Russell walked into the media room inside the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday afternoon iPad in hand and wearing red headphones. He sat down alongside senior point guard Shannon Scott for roughly 15 minutes to preview Ohio State's upcoming game against Penn State.
But perhaps what stood out most about Russell's entrance was what was playing on his iPad. He was watching game film, of course.
Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta has said numerous times before how Russell will watch game film on a game he just played during the flight home from a road trip. Matta has constantly praised the star freshman's work ethic.
"I think he is showing great poise in terms of his pace, in terms of how he read things," Matta said Tuesday. "I've been very impressed with how he has not only adapted and improved throughout the course, but just how he is playing better and better every time he takes the floor which is pretty impressive as a freshman."
It's part of the reason why Russell has been one of the best players in college basketball this season — averaging 19.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game — and Ohio State has won four of its last five games.
At 7-4 in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes currently sit in a tie for second place in the league. There are currently six teams that have four conference losses.
Ohio State welcomes Penn State to the Schottenstein Center on Wednesday night with the chance to avenge a pair of losses to the Nittany Lions last season.
“We’re a team so the feeling that they have from that loss or the losses last year affects us," Russell said. "Coach has been preaching, ‘Treat this game like it’s the biggest game of our lives,’ so we’ll treat this game like it’s the biggest game and hopefully get the right outcome.”
Notes:
- Matta said sophomore forward Marc Loving will not play tomorrow night against Penn State. Loving has missed the Buckeyes' last two games due to an unknown suspension. Matta reiterated he did not know when Loving would return, but said, "Maybe Michigan State."
- Matta said he had someone text him after Ohio State's 79-60 win over Rutgers telling him how good Russell was. Matta said he jokingly responded by saying, "Can you imagine what he is going to be like when he is a senior?"
- Matta continued to praise the improved play of other freshmen Keita Bates-Diop and Kam Williams, saying, "Those guys, I’m excited how they are playing for this part of the season and obviously the more the merrier in terms of that. I think that from where they are as freshmen and the strides that they are making, very, very pleased right now."
- Matta raved about Penn State's D.J. Newbill, who is the Big Ten's leading scorer: "What a great player. I think that you are looking at guy that scores the basketball so many different ways."
- Russell, who has come out of the last couple of games due to cramping, said he's been trying to change his diet a bit and be properly hydrated. He said he's drinking pickle juice and eats Goldfish and pretzels to add more salt to his diet.
- Scott said the Buckeyes fully remember their two losses to Penn State last year. "They stormed the court on us after they beat us last year at their place."
- Russell said Sam Thompson kept him aware of his triple-double against Rutgers telling him to "get one more rebound and get one more assist."
- Russell, when asked about how he handles knowing this could be his only season playing for Ohio State, said this: "Right now, at this moment, I’m all-in. Just focusing on what we’ve got to do and what we’ve got to achieve. Our goals from the beginning of the season to now are the same and my individual decisions and success doesn’t affect us at all. Just keep preaching and focusing on the same thing.”
- Russell said Kelsey Mitchell, the Buckeyes' star freshman on the women's team, is one of his best friends. "I try to go to their games as much as I can, like I’ll be at their game tonight," he said. "I met her at the McDonald’s All-American Game and we got a bond there."
- Scott said it wasn't difficult for the team to realize what a special player Russell was. "We talked about it in the summer when he got here and we noticed that he’s going to be a big factor on our team," he said. "For us to be successful he has to play his game and we didn’t want to stop him playing his game in any way, shape or form so we talked about that early in the year and just want him to play his best.”
- Russell was asked if there was a specific turning point this season for him, but just said he's gotten better every time he takes the floor. “Personally, I think it’s scary for my opponents because I feel like I get better every game and every practice I learn something that I didn’t know going into that practice or that game," he said. "It’s scary because I feel it, like I get better every game. It’s just something new that I’m doing or something that I didn’t expect to happen happened.”
