Ohio State Basketball: Grading Each Player on the Buckeyes' Roster so Far

The college basketball season is in full swing and conference play is set to start within the next week.

No. 2 Ohio State (12-1, 0-0 Big Ten) has proved to be a dominating force this season, knocking off the likes of Florida and Duke, while showing no mercy to smaller schools.

Its only loss came on the road to the Kansas Jayhawks without the Buckeyes' best player, Jared Sullinger.

OSU will begin its quest for another Big Ten title on Dec. 28 when the Northwestern Wildcats visit Columbus.

Let's take a step back and look at what each player on Thad Matta's roster has contributed so far and grade them based on their non-conference schedule performances. 

Jordan Sibert

Sophomore Jordan Sibert has struggled this season, but there's no need to panic.

The Cincinnati native is only making 30 percent of his field goals, including just one of his last 10 shots. Sibert is connecting on 25.8 percent of three-point attempts and 60 percent at the free-throw line.

However, the 6'4", 185-pound guard is seeing nearly double the amount of playing time as he did his freshman season, so we can expect some growing pains.

I do not doubt Sibert's abilities on the court and he will continue to improve throughout the year.


Grade: D

Trey McDonald

It's difficult to come up with a grade for someone like Trey McDonald, who's only been on the court for a total of one minute in Ohio State's last five games.

He hasn't even scored this season.

The 6'8"-freshman has been a little loose with the ball when he's in but hasn't had a whole lot of opportunities to showcase what he's all about just yet.


Grade: C-

Shannon Scott

Freshman guard Shannon Scott has been a solid addition to the Buckeyes' roster so far this season.

Scott has been great at distributing the ball to his teammates; in just a little over 10 minutes per game, he's averaging 2.2 assists—Craft averages 5.5 in 29.9 mpg—and can run the offense well.

Still, he struggles shooting the ball and needs to work on getting to the free-throw line more.


Grade: C-

Sam Thompson

Sam Thompson is an excellent up-and-coming freshman at the forward position and has been receiving an increased amount of playing time lately due to his outstanding athleticism.

He still needs work—mainly with his perimeter shooting—and he'll have to continue adding size to his 6'7", 190-pound frame, but he's only a freshman.


Grade: C

LaQuinton Ross

LaQuinton Ross made his Buckeyes debut versus Miami of Ohio last Thursday evening. In four minutes of play, he made 1-of-3 (33.3 percent) FGs from behind the arc and knocked down both shots at the charity stripe, combining for five points.

Solely based on those four minutes, he did a pretty nice job and I'm excited to see more of him here and there down the stretch.


Grade: C+

Amir Williams

At 6'11, 220 pounds, Amir Williams towers over defenders and gives Ohio State depth at the center position.

He doesn't shoot the ball very often, but when he does, it usually goes in. The freshman from Birmingham has made 57 percent of his field goals so far this season and does a good job crashing the boards.

Williams' weak point has been at the foul line, where he's only making 36.4 percent of his attempts. This statistic will have to get better if he wants to continue contributing to Thad Matta's rotation.

J.D. Weatherspoon

Sophomore J.D. Weatherspoon has already improved from his freshman season, even though he doesn't see much action.

The Columbus native is a terrific rebounder and is shooting better than 65 percent from the floor this year. But with DeShaun Thomas and his other competitors being as good as they are, it's hard for Weatherspoon to find playing time.


Grade: B

Evan Ravenel

Evan Ravenel has stepped up big on several occasions this year, especially when Jared Sullinger has gone out with injury.

The Boston College junior transfer doesn't put up a lot of points, nor does he take many shots. In addition, he's darn near awful at the free-throw line, shooting a mere 60.7 percent (64.4 percent career).

Ravenel's value comes at the defensive side of the ball. He's a tough player and has good size, which helps him force bad decisions in the paint.

He'll continue to get some spotlight through conference play.


Grade: B

Lenzelle Smith Jr.

I've been extremely impressed with Smith Jr. in the 2011-12 campaign.

The sophomore guard is averaging 4.8 points per game this year off 50 percent shooting from the field (46.7 percent three-point). He's also grabbing 5.0 rebounds and dishing 2.2 assists, all within 22 minutes on the court.

Smith Jr. came up huge for the Buckeyes against South Carolina after Sullinger left the game with a foot injury. He contributed nine points, nine rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of play as Ohio State beat the Gamecocks, 74-66, in Colonial Life Arena.

Nevertheless, there is a bad side to Smith Jr. as well. He's only made 10-of-27 (37 percent) from the charity stripe this season, which is completely unheard of for a guard.


Grade: B+

Aaron Craft

I believe Aaron Craft is an outstanding player and has what it takes to be one of the greatest point guards to come through Ohio State.

That said, I'm somewhat disappointed with what he's done so far this season.

Craft is a dominant defensive player and is almost impossible to score on with the catch-and-shoot. His quick hands and feet keep him on top of the ball-handler at all times and help rack up steals, which he usually turns into points on the fast break.

However, he seems to be forcing shots from time to time and his three-point percentage (30 percent) is way down from last year's (37.7 percent) as a freshman.

Not only has he struggled from outside the arc, but Craft is only hitting 68.9 percent of his free throws.

I have to think that he will fix what needs fixed and move on.


Grade: B+

William Buford

Senior guard William Buford is having the best season of his four-year career with Ohio State.

The 6'6", 220-pounder is averaging 15.8 points per contest off 43.4 percent shooting from the field and has been almost flawless at the foul line, hitting 85 percent of his attempts.

The only thing holding Buford back from an A is his three-point percentage: 37.3 percent is the lowest it's been since his freshman year. If it were last year's numbers (44.2 percent), he could possibly be the team's leading scorer right now.


Grade: A-

DeShaun Thomas

DeShaun Thomas has truly been the surprise of the team this year. I mean seriously, I was blindsided with this guy.

The sophomore from Indiana has more than doubled his point average from a year ago with 15.8. He's making over 54 percent of his shots (36.7 percent from outside the arc) and is gathering over four rebounds a game.

Thomas is also making almost 78 percent of his free throws.

What's even more remarkable is that he's doing all of this in less than 29 minutes of average playing time.


Grade: A

Jared Sullinger

No surprise here.

When healthy, Jared Sullinger is near unstoppable. The Player of the Year candidate leads the team in scoring and rebounds, and is second in field-goal percentage (58.7) and free-throw percentage (80.6).

It's without doubt that Ohio State is a different team without him, so it's imperative that he is without injury from here on out.

Sullinger easily gets the best grade of the team and should continue having such success as the conference schedule commences.


Grade: A+