As has been the case many times this season, point guard Aaron Craft came off the bench and sparked Ohio State with 15 assists against George Mason, many of them to the wings as the Buckeyes finished 16-of-26 behind the arc.

The freshman guard is playing with tremendous poise and court presence -- on both sides of the ball.

“Physically, you have to have the tools,” assistant coach Brandon Miller said. “Aaron can move laterally. He can stay in front of the ball.

“What makes him special, puts him over the top, is his mind. What you can give a normal kid in scouting, you can give him 10-fold. You can give him everything. He can put the knowledge on the floor and carry it out.”

The technical term to describe Craft’s intellect may or may not be genius, but it will suffice here. He is a brilliant student, and unlike some in that category who use athletics as a respite and don’t take the mental part of the game seriously, he uses his brain to enhance his performance.

(After Craft was asked if he could recall the details of the two extraordinary assists among his 15, Matta told Sporting News, “He could remember the other 13, too. He’s got it up there.”)