COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the exhibition game against Cedarville, a pair of very different Buckeyes stood out to secure the victory ahead of the season opener against Cincinnati.
Kaleb Wesson is a 6-foot-9-inch junior that was voted onto the Preseason All-Big Ten team, and D.J. Carton is a 6-foot-two-inch freshman that came off the bench against Cedarville. While the players don’t share similarities on the surface, they both teamed up to defeat the Yellow Jackets 95-52.
“[Wesson] has become such a good shooter and he has just terrific touch, and obviously, [Carton] I thought made really good reads off some of that stuff,” Chris Holtmann said. “So, I think that will continue to be a theme.”
Wesson, who averaged 14.6 points on 50-percent shooting last season, led the team with 23 points, making 9 of 11 shots. While he did a lot of his work inside the paint, Wesson was able to knock down three shots from behind the arc.
“He makes the game a little easier for me and definitely spaces out the floor for us this year,” Carton said on Wesson’s impact.
The forward was also busy on the glass, hauling in seven rebounds in 23 minutes.
Carton would be involved in the first group of substitutions for the Buckeyes, and he eased himself into the action. Carton logged 13 minutes in the first half, turning his four shots into four points.
The highly touted freshman showed off his court vision early in the game, distributing the ball for two assists before halftime. He would finish the game with game-high five assists while only coughing the ball up on one occasion.
Carton and Wesson seemed to have connection, especially in the second half. In a short stretch, Carton would find Wesson twice for a pair of easy buckets to help balloon the lead 17 points.
“I think we’ve had a really good connection,” Carton said on his chemistry with Wesson. “He works really hard to get open, and I kind of just do the easy thing and get him the ball.”
After Carton’s second assist to Wesson, the forward returned the favor by hitting Carton with an outlet pass that spurred a breakaway dunk for the freshman. Wesson would finish the game with three assists and one turnover.
This would spur a run for Carton where he would score 11 of Ohio State’s next 13 points. Over this stretch, he would record three dunks, including one off an alley-oop feed from E.J. Liddell.
“He knows how I play and stuff like that, and it was a good connection there, good pass by my boy,” Carton said on the feed from Liddell.
Carton used the second-half explosion to finish the game with 15 points on 70-percent shooting.
Wesson and Carton were able to impose their will on the defensive side of things, as well. Finishing with a game-high two blocks, Wesson was able to use the defensive end to compliment his offensive performance.
Wesson and Carton would each record two steals on the night to help the Buckeyes tally 12 steals as a team.
To further show their impact in the game, the duo led the team in the plus-minus category, with Wesson earning a positive 37 rating and Carton finishing with a positive 27-point margin while on the floor.
Holtmann will need the pair to continue to develop and play at a high level once the Buckeyes begin the regular season against Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Bearcats will be the first of several high-level opponents that the Buckeyes will need to navigate throughout nonconference play.
“It’s a very good team coming in, and we have to play mature and with control,” Carton said. “It’s going to test us at points, but I think we’ve worked for this and I think we’re ready. So I’m looking forward to it.”
