Thad Matta

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta has led the No. 10-ranked Buckeyes through 21 practices. The latest practice was open to the public as part of the annual Agonis Club event.

(Associated Press)

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta opened up the No. 10-ranked Buckeyes practice as part of the annual Agonis Club event in Value City Arena on Tuesday evening.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After Ohio State basketball team got done practicing in front of more than 1,000 people as part of the Agonis Club event Tuesday evening in Value City Arena, head coach Thad Matta addressed the crowd and answered questions.

The first question from the crowd was quick to the point.

“What will your record be this year?”

Meet the typical Ohio State fan, ladies and gentlemen. Regardless of the situation, expectations are high.

And for the No. 10-ranked Buckeyes, a team that returns the majority of their roster except for forward Deshaun Thomas, those expectations are shared.

So it was appropriate when Matta quickly quipped, “I hope 40-0.”

Ohio State has been practicing for about a month – Tuesday evening’s practice was No. 21, for those keeping track – and the Buckeyes are rapidly approaching their season opener Nov. 9 against Morgan State.

Following are observations and notes I gathered after watching Ohio State practice for roughly an hour:

• First of all, Lenzelle Smith Jr. did not participate in the practice. Matta later said that the senior guard is dealing with an “infection” of some kind, but the Buckeyes hope he’ll be back to full strength by the weekend.

• Freshman Kam Williams of Baltimore (Md.) Mount St. Joseph’s also didn’t practice. Matta said that he’s dealing with a case of mononucleosis and he’ll likely be out another two or three weeks. That’s a lot of practice time for a freshman to miss, especially if he plans on earning playing time early in his career.

• Matta said Ohio State will scrimmage West Virginia on Saturday. Details regarding what time and where the scrimmage would take place weren’t given, but preseason scrimmages are typical for the Buckeyes.

• When asked to name the top five players he’s ever coached, Matta quickly responded with Jared Sullinger, Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Evan Turner. Matta struggled with the fifth, but he threw out names he’d consider, such as Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, Je’Kel Foster and David Lighty. Matta also mentioned David West, a former national player of the year he coached while leading the Xavier basketball program.

Without Deshaun Thomas on this year's roster, junior big man Amir Williams will be counted by Ohio State that much more in the post. During the practice, it seemed like he has stronger hands and a bigger post presence.

• Lighty and former guard William Buford were both at the practice. Buford was in street clothes sitting next to Smith on the bench. Lighty took part in the practice. When Matta introduced his team to the crowd, Lighty got a loud ovation from the onlookers.

• Matta was asked about his personal health, and he said he hasn’t been this energized for a season in a long time. Though Matta had an office chair on the floor for when he starts having back pain, he walked throughout the practice without needed to use it. At the end of his response regarding his health, Matta joked, “But haven’t lost yet.”

Ok, now to this year’s team…

• There's a lot of expectation for LaQuinton Ross this year, but he wasn't a dominant force during the hour-long window. Ross knocked down a few shots, but he didn't have the presence as an overwhelming leader or scoring threat. That's not to say he won't be that kind of player for the Buckeyes, but there simply wasn't a laundry list of plays he made to draw back on.

• The most impressive player during the one-hour window of practice was Shannon Scott. The junior point guard is the fastest player on the team and he became known for his defense a year ago, but he seems to have really developed the offensive part of his game. Not only was he knocking down jumpers consistently, he was also beating defenders off the dribble and taking it to the rim.

So the question has to be asked: Will Matta stick with Smith in the starting lineup, or is it possible that Scott and Craft will be in the starting lineup as this team’s guards?

• Amir Williams’ hands seemed to be greatly improved. Though it was only for an hour, Williams was handling the ball quite well in the paint. Last year he had a hard time with losing control of the ball, but there was one play where Craft rocketed a pass into the paint before the big man handled it cleanly and finished the layup over Trey McDonald.

• Sophomore guard Amedeo Della Valle’s shot was on during the practice. He knocked down most of the outside jumpers he took, but it is whether his game has developed enough defensively that will be the determining factor in whether he gets onto the floor this year.

• Aaron Craft will be the emotional leader of this year’s team. Though he has always been known as a vocal presence for Ohio State, Craft could be heard throughout the entire practice directing both youthful players and veterans. One of the best defenders in college basketball, Craft also took the ball to the rim quite a bit during the drills. He was most effective as a scorer a year ago when he scored near the bucket off the dribble. Ohio State will want more of that this year from the senior.