Ohio State's Best Shooter, or Maybe Its Worst LOS ANGELES - According to ESPN's statistics, Deshaun Thomas took 564 field-goal attempts this season. Not all of them were bad. It only sometimes seemed that way. He made 44.7 percent of them, in fact, a full 252. Thomas is a junior forward for Ohio State who rarely met a shot he did not like - or launch. After Thomas scored 20 points to help the Buckeyes dispatch Arizona on Thursday, Coach Thad Matta described Thomas as a "bad-shot taker" and a "bad-shot maker," and not for the first time. He meant this as a compliment. "Deshaun has probably taken more of those shots that you're really hoping he doesn't take," teammate Aaron Craft said. But he has a knack for putting the ball in the bucket. Even if he misses those shots, he usually finds the way to get the ball again on the offensive rebound. Early into the game against Arizona, Thomas had forced a series of jumpers. Many of them went in. His 16 points carried Ohio State in the first half, in fact. In the second half, though, Thomas was content to let his teammates do the scoring. This showed his maturation this season, more than his usual shot selection would. "I had to balance it starting last year," Thomas said. I had to take great shots, and just try to take them within the offense, and that's what I did. Coach Matta always preaches: Deshaun, take good shots. We need good ones. Pressed for clarification Friday as to what made a good shot different than a bad one, Matta said: "I'm like a lot of you. If it goes in, it's a great shot. If it doesn't, it's a bad shot. He has a way to find angles. We went through that stretch in the Big Ten tournament where he was taking some bad ones. But we want him to shoot. The better the shot is, the better he is.