Fansided

Ohio State basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 first-look preview

By Brendon Kleen

COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rebounds the ball in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 23: Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rebounds the ball in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Value City Arena on February 23, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Player performances create uncertainty for the Buckeyes

The Buckeyes saw several players improve from 2019 to 2020.

But everything began with Kaleb Wesson. As a junior, the big man came to school chiseled in the late summer, finally shedding the baby weight and delivering a remarkable season that could not have happened at his prior weight.

Wesson not only extended his shooting range, launching 106 threes, but he also became more of a threat to attack close-outs because of the added mobility that likely came from slimming down. As a result, Wesson was a more versatile scoring threat at his best, even if shooting slumps and a high turnover rate skewed his full-season numbers.

Defensively, Wesson turned in the best year of his Ohio State career. The big man posted a solid 4 percent block rate, and the Buckeyes were about five points better per 100 possessions defensively when Wesson was on the floor. A strong, versatile small-ball big man is a dynamic weapon few college programs have, especially in the typically traditional Big Ten.

It’s no surprise Wesson posted a career-best 5.8 Defensive Box Plus-Minus, a box score-based statistic that quantifies a player’s points saved per 100 possessions relative to an average team.

Apart from Wesson, the Buckeyes also got a surprisingly strong season from Carton. A four-star recruit who was the 35th overall prospect on the ESPN 100 last year, Carton was offered by nearly the entire Big Ten as a high schooler out of Iowa but chose Holtmann and Ohio State.

In turn, he posted a near-60.0 true shooting percentage to go with three assists per game. Though Carton played only 24 minutes per game, there was basically no weak spot in his game, and as a floor general, Carton often closed games ahead of more experienced players and improved as the season went along.

If there was any reason to believe the Buckeyes had a deep tournament run in them, Carton is it (however, Carton was away from the team for personal reasons heading into the Big Ten tournament and will now transfer from Ohio State, according to a release from the school).