COLUMBUS, Ohio -- D.J. Carton sat at the podium, answering questions the day before the Ohio State basketball team’s matchup with Minnesota.

He answered question after question about how a team that was just ranked No. 2 in the country and looked like a potential Final Four team had fallen so far in just 28 days. The freshman rattled off a multitude of reasons ranging from a lack of passion, to team chemistry, to how shooting woes have impacted every other facet of the game.

About seven minutes into the Wednesday media session, Kaleb Wesson joined him, echoing many of the same sentiments. Neither looked happy with the current situation, but they also may be the primary solutions to the problem.

“I don’t think anybody as special as D.J., but I’ve played with pretty good guards before,” Wesson said. “He’s different and special.”

Carton and Wesson reflect what happens when there’s a clash in styles of play on a team’s two most important positions. Wesson is the best player and the primary weapon of attack, while Carton is arguably the most talented player with an upside that could one day be worthy of a first-round NBA Draft pick. Both should be a lot for a defense to deal with, but at the moment that’s more theory than reality.

Wesson, 6-foot-9, 270 pounds, does his best work on the block. He’s a highly skilled, smart player who uses size and footwork to succeed. He’s best in the half-court, although his ability to knock down threes makes him dangerous as a trailer in transition.

Carton, 6-2, 190, brings explosiveness at point guard that made him Iowa’s high-school version of Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. He thrives in the open court and it’s why he was a high four-star recruit. But he was the offensive focal point in high school and has struggled playing with someone of Wesson’s caliber.

"I've never played with a big man that can dunk consistently," Carton said. "My focus has never really been to get the ball in the post. It's something new to me. It's a different offensive brand that I wasn't comfortable coming into."

At Bettendorf High School, the offense was putting the ball in Carton’s hands and letting him make decisions. He made a habit of going 94 feet and making plays in the open court and has shown that same ability at times with the Buckeyes.

When teams tried to play in the half-court, he got one high ball screen after another, storming downhill to create for himself and others. He never had to worry about a post entry pass or waiting on a post player to get position on the block. Now he does, and the adjustment has been anything but smooth.

“We didn’t ever play through a big man,” Carton’s high school coach Curtis Clark told cleveland.com. "We played through D.J. 100 percent. We played through him regardless of how good our posts were or not. We thought our best chance to win was if the ball was in his hands whether he shot or got a shot for someone else. "

The two have had their moments where they’ve looked like a quality 1-2 punch. During an exhibition game against Cedarville, the two combined for 17 consecutive points over a three-minute stretch. Carton provided three assists and a steal and Wesson added three rebounds.

In the best-case scenario, Wesson can dominate down low while Carton — along with transfer C.J. Walker — elevates the backcourt by enhancing OSU’s transition attack. Instead, the two styles have yet to fully mesh. Wesson has been fine, but Carton -- still coming off the bench -- can go too fast for his own good, leading to high-turnover, low-assist games.

Wesson’s half-court production against Carton’s full-court potential. They haven’t been able to live in the same space yet. Since this is Wesson’s team, his style wins out.

“I had to play a lot of half-court in high school, but it was nothing like this,” Carton said. “Nothing where you have to pay attention to detail for all 30 seconds. It’s definitely a big change and being patient and getting the best shot for the team.”

The Big Ten is arguably the best conference in college basketball, but it is also vastly different in the style of play seen around the rest of the country. Most teams — whether at the college or pro level — run every facet of their offense through their perimeter players. The Big Ten goes through the big man.

Wesson is just one of many talented bigs in the conference. Another is Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu, who came into Thursday night’s matchup averaging 20.2 points per game. He was held to just 11 points, but guard Marcus Carr compensated with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists along with the game-winning 3-pointer.

OSU coach Chris Holtmann acknowledges how different this league is and how he’s had to adjust his approach. Yet he’s still going to demand much from his floor generals, especially one as talented as Carton.

"I don't know if I've had a team where it's been that different," Holtmann said. "But we've established how we want to play and try to play through our interior as much as possible. Kaleb obviously can't do it on his own in this league."

There’s a long list of reasons for why Ohio State is no longer among the best in the country. Building chemistry between these two might cure some of that. Their styles and strengths must find a way to coexist.

“It takes some time, it takes playing together,” Holtmann said. “One who’s a veteran and one who’s younger and trying to find his way a little bit. One has to get the ball thrown to him and the other has the ball in his hands. It’s a different dynamic.”

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