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LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball projected a No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament

Ohio State women’s basketball projected a No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A weak non-conference schedule has Buckeyes on the cusp of traveling for first and second rounds of March Madness

Sunday afternoon, the NCAA Tournament committee released the first of two top-16 rankings of the regular season. The annual release shows teams where they’re at in the minds of those selecting which teams will host the first two rounds of March Madness, and the committee put Ohio State women’s basketball in at No. 14.

That puts the Buckeyes in the tournament as a No. 4 seed, as of today. There are still five regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament to play, but it puts Ohio State in a position where the margin for error is thin to avoid a road trip in the tournament this March.

The non-conference schedule sticks out as a reason why Ohio State is in this position. The Buckeyes scheduled no teams in the preseason rankings in their non-conference slate. Ohio State’s biggest test before Big Ten play was the Stanford Cardinal, a team that earned a No. 24 ranking in the Associated Press weekly poll, but lost it after one week and have a 12-12 record in the Cardinal’s first season in the ACC under first year head coach Kate Paye.

Look at the Big Ten schedule and the Buckeyes are 3-2 against top-25 teams, but two of those three wins came against teams that are no longer ranked.

An important change to how the women’s tournament gets ranked is the adoption of the quad system used by the men’s tournament.

In quad 1, meaning games against teams 1-to-25 in the NET at home, 1-to-35 at neutral sites and 0-to-40, the Buckeyes are 2-2. Of the top-16, the Kansas State Wildcats are the only other program playing in only four quad 1 games

Ohio State lost to the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and then No. 7 USC Trojans last week, not helping the Buckeyes. Right now, there are three remaining quad 1 game for Ohio State in the regular season on Thursday, in Bloomington against the Indiana Hoosiers, the Michigan State Spartans trip to Columbus on Feb. 26 and the regular season finale in College Park, Maryland against the Terrapins. That’s subject to change with the NET rankings updating daily.

That means that Ohio State has little margin for error through the end of the regular season and Big Ten tournament. Slip up, especially against teams in the second, third and fourth quads, and the Scarlet and Gray might have to travel for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Here is the full top-16:

Top-16 from the NCAA Tournament committee:

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. USC
6. LSU
7. UConn
8. NC State
9. TCU
10. Duke
11. North Carolina
12. Kansas State
13. Kentucky
14. Ohio State
15. Oklahoma
16. Tennessee

The committee will release one more top-16 ranking before the end of the regular season on Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2.

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LGHL Visiting Locker Room: Hawkeye Report breaks down Hannah Stuelke and Iowa women’s basketball

Visiting Locker Room: Hawkeye Report breaks down Hannah Stuelke and Iowa women’s basketball
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Womens Basketball: Ohio St. at Iowa

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes renew their Big Ten rivalry Monday in Columbus

At lunchtime on Monday, No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball and the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate President’s Day on national television. For the first time since the last game of the 2023-24 regular season, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes add another chapter in their long-running Big Ten rivalry.

It’s the first game that won’t feature names like Jacy Sheldon or Caitlin Clark, but it still features two teams with the personnel to compete in the postseason.

To learn more about this season’s edition of the Hawkeyes, Land-Grant Holy Land reached out to Kyle Huesmann of the Hawkeye Report. The Iowa Hawkeyes beat writer talked about how this team is different without the NCAA all-time leading scorer, how a summer injury for forward Hannah Stuelke is still impacting the Hawkeyes and Iowa’s ceiling in the NCAA Tournament.


Land-Grant Holy Land: With the departure of Iowa’s focal point on offense, and head coach Lisa Bluder, how have the Hawkeyes changed systematically?

Hawkeye Report: Honestly, not a ton has changed systematically, which isn’t a surprise considering Jan Jensen was an assistant under Bluder for 30 years. It just looks a bit different because the personnel changed. They still run the same base offense, but with some of the pieces they lost, most notably Caitlin Clark, they can’t quite go at the same tempo as before and don’t make as many threes as they did last season.

As of late, the offense has really started to hit its stride. Some people may not know that Hannah Stuelke was out the entire summer after postseason knee surgery and then Syd Affolter got a minor procedure right when Stuelke was returning to full speed. That meant transfer Lucy Olsen never really got a chance to work with Stuelke and Affolter on the floor together.

The team started out well in non-conference play, but as team’s started to build a better scouting report against Iowa, the lack of fully healthy practice time over the offseason started to show. Over their current six-game winning streak, the veterans have played more consistent basketball, which they weren’t doing when things were going sideways. Iowa is still going to try to score a decent amount of points in the paint with Stuelke/O’Grady and will look to hit some threes, mostly with McCabe, Affolter and Olsen, but they have a couple of others that can hit from outside. Their three-point shooting has improved quite a bit from the beginning of the season.

The big thing that is different with this team is that they are playing better defense than in year’s past. Credit Jensen and her staff for that. They knew what they were losing offensively with Clarks and others, and made defense an emphasis over the offseason. They are currently ranked 136th in points per possession allowed (0.901), which is almost 100 spots higher than they finished last season (211th).

It’s been even better as of late, holding opponents to below 0.85 points per possession in four of their last six games. Their rebounding has even gotten a touch better, jumping from 31st in total rebounding percentage to 19th, while they are top ten in defensive rebounding.
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LGHL: 2. Coach Jensen tried to move Stuelke to a No. 4 role on the team, but moved her back recently after a string of defeats. What does Stuelke bring to the No. 5 role that Addi O’Grady didn’t bring and how has Stuelke grown into the focal point of this new look team?

HR: Stuelke’s natural position is the power forward position and with Addi O’Grady developing into a capable starter at center, the hope was to play Stuelke at the 4 this season. Unfortunately, Hannah was forced to play the 5 all of last season, so she never got reps at the 4 and then, this past offseason, she got knee surgery and did not return to full practice until the fall.

She never got time to work on developing the skills that would allow her to play the 4 at Iowa. Moving Hannah back to the 5 wasn’t due to anything Addi O’Grady was doing poorly, in fact, O’Grady is top ten in the country in field goal percentage. However, the move allowed Stuelke to be a consistent contributor on the offensive end and has allowed the offense to play a little bit faster.

Syd Affolter has also been a beneficiary of the move because the floor opened up a bit more and she has been much more consistent on the offensive end as of late. Hannah didn’t have a great game against Nebraska, but is capable of putting up a double-double any given night at the center position.
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LGHL: What has Taylor McCabe brought to the starting lineup with O’Grady now coming off the bench?

HR: McCabe brings three-point shooting, which is something Iowa lost a lot of from last year’s team. Taylor doesn’t create her own three-point looks very often, which, at times, can be an issue, but since the offense has started to hit its stride, she has gotten more looks.

The guard is the team’s top three-point shooter and if she gets 5-6 looks in a game, more often than not, she’s going to make 2-3 of them and sometimes 4 of them. She was 0/4 against Minnesota until late when she hit a clutch three and then knocked down five second half threes in the win over Nebraska.
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LGHL: Recent history shows Iowa bringing in maybe one transfer a season, far less than some other sides in the conference, but it’s been quality over quantity with names like Molly Davis and now Olsen. Over the last six games, Olsen is hitting another level for Iowa. What is she doing differently lately and what does she bring to the team overall?

HR: Any time a transfer joins a new team, there is going to be a period of time where that transfer is trying to figure out what role they should play. For Lucy, she was that go-to, 25-point a game scorer at Villanova and it’s hard to bring that same “I’m going to go win us the game mentality” to a more talented team, a better conference, etc, right off the jump.

I think a culmination of things led to her middle of the season struggles, but she has been pretty dominant as of late. At her best, Lucy can score at all three levels and she showed that against USC, Nebraska and even going back to the Washington game. Her midrange game is where she is most comfortable, but she’s been able to get to the rim a bit more lately and that has really opened things up for her.

She’s also started hitting threes at a higher clip. My sense is that earlier in the season, Lucy was trying to learn the system , correctly run the system and fit in with her new team. Now, she is starting to understand when it’s time to run the offense or run the set and when it’s time to abort the play and go get a basket for herself because it’s available. The Lucy Olsen that played against USC and Nebraska was one that saw openings for her to take over the game on her own and she did it.
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LGHL: What is this team’s ceiling for the postseason?

HR: This is an interesting question. I think this team, when playing at their best, is a Sweet Sixteen level team. However, some of their close losses earlier in the year may cost them in terms of tournament seeding, with them currently projected in that 8-9 seed range.

Probably too far of a climb to get to a 6 seed and too far to fall out of the tournament. That means they’ll likely be headed to a regional hosted by a 1 or 2 seed. The path to a Sweet 16 is far tougher in that situation than if they won a couple of those earlier games and earned a 5-6 seed.
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LGHL No. 2 Ohio State women’s hockey in search of back-to-back national titles

No. 2 Ohio State women’s hockey in search of back-to-back national titles
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buckeyes have already racked up 23 wins this year with the end of the regular season on the horizon.

Ohio State’s women’s hockey team is off this weekend, making it a perfect time to reflect on what the Buckeyes have done on the ice so far this season, as well as set the stage for what lies ahead.

With one weekend of regular season games left, Ohio State currently has a 23-6-3 record, marking the third-straight season the Buckeyes have won at least 23 games. With what they have shown on the ice so far this season, Ohio State is not only a lock to make their fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, they have a great shot to make their fourth straight title game.

The Buckeyes currently are ranked second in the country, with Wisconsin being the only squad ahead of them. Ohio State is riding a three-game winning streak, most recently sweeping a weekend series with St. Thomas in Columbus.

Friday night’s game wasn’t pretty for the Buckeyes early on, as St. Thomas jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a power play goal a couple minutes into the second period. Jocelyn Amos responded with a goal at the 5:47 mark of the second period before St. Thomas again extended their lead to two goals 10 minutes later. Riley Brengman cut into the lead early in the third period with a goal, but at the midway point of the third period St. Thomas would again restore their two-goal lead, pushing the score to 4-2.

One thing Nadine Muzerall’s team can hang their hat on is they never give up. Jenna Buglioni scored a short-handed goal with just under six minutes to play to close the gap to 4-3. Then with 30 seconds to go, Jocelyn Amos scored her second goal of the game to send the the contest to overtime. Joy Dunne would secure the comeback victory by netting a power play goal just over a minute into overtime.

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buckeyes didn’t have to sweat nearly as much in the second game against St. Thomas. Amos again scored the first goal of the game for Ohio State, putting the puck in the back of the net with the Buckeyes on the power play 8:30 into the first period. Makenna Webster would extend the lead to 2-0 early in the second period before St. Thomas would pull one back at the 8:48 mark of the period.

Ohio State wouldn’t be rattled by giving up a goal, keeping their foot on the gas with goals from Kiara Zanon, Dunne, and Buglioni to round out the 5-1 win. Goaltender Hailey MacLeod only faced seven shots in the victory, turning aside six of them.

With three goals over the weekend, Jocelyn Amos now has a team-high 21 goals this season. Back in January, Amos had a game to remember, netting four goals in a win over Bemidji State. While Amos holds the individual high mark for goal scoring by a Buckeye this season, the team’s top score came earlier in the season against Stonehill when they scored 11 goals on 72 shots.

Overall, five Ohio State players have at least 10 goals so far this season. Joining Amos and Dunne in the double-digit scorer club are Jenna Buglioni, Kiara Zanon, and Jordyn Petrie.

Sharing most of the goaltending duties for the Buckeyes this season have been Amanda Thiele and Hailey MacLeod. Thiele has been a goaltender on both of Ohio State’s national championship teams, so she has seen just about everything there is to see on the ice. This season Thiele is 14-5-2 with a 2.15 goals against average and .890 save percentage in 23 games.

MacLeod is a transfer from Minnesota-Duluth and has impressed in her first season in Columbus, posting a 8-1-1 record with a 1.63 goals against average, .907 save percentage, and three shutouts in 14 games.

Syndication: Journal Sentinel
Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The moment of the season so far for Ohio State was undoubtedly squaring off with rival Wisconsin at Wrigley Field in early January. The Buckeyes and Badgers have split the last two national titles, with Wisconsin winning 1-0 in 2023, followed by Ohio State winning 1-0 to cap off last season.

Entering the outdoor game, the Buckeyes were destroyed just a couple days before in Madison, losing 6-0 to the Badgers. Much like many of the other games between the hockey powers over the last few years, the game at Wrigley Field came down to a shootout, with Ohio State earning the victory at the iconic baseball stadium.

To close out their regular season schedule, Ohio State will host St. Cloud State at the OSU Ice Rink on Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET and Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. The teams split their first two meetings of the season back in October, with Ohio State winning the first game 5-1 before losing a shootout the next day.

Following the weekend series, the WCHA will hold their first round games between Feb. 28 and March 2, which will determine the WCHA Final Faceoff field, which will take place March 7 and 8 in Duluth.

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2025 Spring Practices, Spring Game, and other Tidbits

ScriptOhio
www.elevenwarriors.com

Ohio State Football to Hold Spring Showcase at Ohio Stadium on April 12

Ohio State will hold a spring showcase at Ohio Stadium on April 12, the usual weekend of its spring game. Details for the event are still to be determined.
www.elevenwarriors.com www.elevenwarriors.com

Ohio State Football to Hold Spring Showcase at Ohio Stadium on April 12​

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The Ohio State football team will hold an event at Ohio Stadium on its typical spring game date, but it’s still to be determined whether it will be an actual spring game.

Even though the Buckeyes are starting spring practice two weeks later than usual, Ohio State will conclude spring practice on April 12, sticking with its typical schedule of concluding spring practice on the second Saturday in April.

That said, Ohio State is calling its final practice of the spring a “spring showcase” this year, opening up the possibility that Ohio State could deviate from holding a traditional spring game. Per Monday’s announcement of Ohio State’s spring practice schedule, details of the spring showcase including ticket information are still to be determined.

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Ohio State will hold a Buckeye Gameday Fan Fest before the spring showcase in Remembrance Park (located on the corner of Woody Hayes and Archie Griffin Drives), featuring live entertainment, food and beverage and fan activations and giveaways, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Ohio State will conduct its entire spring practice schedule in four weeks this spring, beginning on March 17 when Ohio State students return from spring break. The Buckeyes will practice three times during the first week of practice, then practice four times in each of the following three weeks, culminating with the spring showcase for their 15th and final practice.

Ohio State is starting its spring practice schedule two weeks later than usual due to the length of its 2024 season, which culminated on January 20 with the Buckeyes winning the national championship in their 16th game of the season.

Spring Practice Starts: Monday, March 17th
Gameday Fanfest and Spring Game: Saturday, April 12th

Just sayin': The fans will want to see how the QB1 competition (i.e. Justin Sayin) looks in actual game conditions and will be disappointed if there isn't an actual "traditional" spring game.
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 20 Michigan: Game preview and prediction

Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 20 Michigan: Game preview and prediction
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Michigan

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Roddy Gayle returns to Columbus as Jake Diebler and Dusty May face off for the first time.

Ohio State (15-10, 7-7) will host No. 20 Michigan (19-5, 11-2) on CBS at 1:00 p.m. ET at the Schottenstein Center.

According to Ohio State Athletics, Sunday’s game will be the 192nd all-time meeting between the two schools. Officially, Ohio State leads the series 102-82, taking into account the vacated games.

The teams have split the last 20 meetings (10-10), and Ohio State holds just a 20-point edge (1,363-1,343) in combined points in those games.

Last year, the teams split their regular season meetings, with each winning on its home floor. Michigan won 73-65 win in Ann Arbor, and but in the second meeting the Buckeyes dominated from start to finish in an 84-61 victory on Senior Day.

Michigan comes into this game on a five-game winning streak, taking down Purdue in its last game 75-73.

This is the game of storylines, with first-year head coaches Dusty May and Jake Diebler facing off for the first time and former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle returning to Columbus after spending two years as a Buckeye and transferring to Michigan.

Preview​

NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Michigan
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Michigan is led by the Twin Towers, two seven-footers, in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. Goldin is a transfer from Florida Atlantic that May brought with him to Ann Arbor, and Wolf is a transfer from Yale that was one of the more coveted targets in the transfer portal last season.

Goldin averages 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He shoots 63.9 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free-throw line. He also has shot 47 percent from beyond the three-point line this season, although it has been on limited attempts (9-for-19).

Wolf averages 12.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. Wolf is also second in the Big Ten in turnovers per game, averaging 3.4 giveaways per game.

Auburn transfer guard Tre Donaldson has also been a valuable addition to the Wolverines, averaging 12.9 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. He’s also shooting 42% from three-point range on nearly five attempts per game.

Gayle has been up and down for Michigan, similar to his sophomore season at Ohio State. He is averaging 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He has struggled shooting the ball, shooting 45 percent from the field and 22 percent from the three-point line. His turnovers are slightly down, believe it or not, but basically all other counting stats — including his minutes — have gone down from a year ago.

Nimari Burnett averages 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as the fifth Michigan player to average double-digit points. He’s Michigan’s most efficient three-point shooter, knocking them down at 42.7% on just under five attempts per game.

For the Buckeyes, junior point guard Bruce Thornton leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game. He’s also grabbing 3.4 rebounds per game and dishing out 4.3 assists per game. Both of those marks are lower than last year, but he’s been incredibly efficient scoring the basketball, shooting 52 percent from the field, 46 percent from three-point range, and 83 percent from the free-throw line.

Sophomore forward Devin Royal is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, leading the team in the latter category. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. has been one of the top shooters in the country, averaging 13.4 points per game on 42 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the free-throw line.

Mobley has made five three-pointers in back-to-back games and now leads the Big Ten with 63 three-pointers. He’s one of just 13 players in the country, and just one of three freshmen, to have made a three-pointer in every game this season. Mobley is also on pace to have the best free-throw season in program history. The current record holder is Jody Finney, who hit 90% of his free throws during the 1968-1069 season.

Micah Parrish averages 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He’s averaged 21.3 points per game over the last three games, shooting 53.4% overall and 42.8% from three-point range during that time. Parrish is playing in his 160th career game on Sunday and has been great over the last month. He’s also averaged a team-best 17.4 points per game over the last eight games.

In his previous four seasons, he scored 20 points in a game just three times. In the last seven games, he’s recorded 20 or more points three times, including a 30-point game last Sunday at Nebraska.

Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart are averaging 6.8 and 5.7 points per game, respectively. Stewart also averages 5.8 rebounds per game.

Both teams are rated favorably according to the metrics, with Michigan ranked No. 22 and Ohio State ranked No. 28 in KenPom. Michigan is No. 25 in offensive rating and No. 18 in defensive rating, while Ohio State is ranked No. 29 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Prediction​

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This game will come down to how well Ohio State can defend Goldin and Wolf due to their size and how well they run the pick-and-roll action between the two of them. Sean Stewart and Evan Mahaffey will be the defensive catalysts for this, and if they can use their athleticism to slow those two down, the Buckeyes have the advantage at guard and can lead them to a win.

Also, the Buckeyes have proven they can win games that they are outmatched in the frontcourt. They beat Purdue against Trey Kaufman-Renn and defeated Maryland with Derik Queen and Julian Reese.

This is one of the games that Thornton has to assert himself as the best player on the floor. He has had games where he has done that and scored 30 points, but in other games, he has tried to set others up and facilitate when he should be taking the offense into his own hands.

This game should be high-scoring, as these are two of the top-scoring teams in the conference, with Michigan averaging 81.4 points per game and Ohio State averaging 79.8 points per game.

This is also a sandwiched game for Michigan, as they just played Purdue and play Michigan State in its next game on Friday, so there could be a little let-down and look ahead for the Wolverines.


ESPN BPI: Ohio State 60.4%

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 83, Michigan 78​


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Google Struggling Patriots eye Buckeyes' star Henderson in a monumental NFL Draft move, aiming to beef up their backfield woes - Motorcycle Sports Australia

Struggling Patriots eye Buckeyes' star Henderson in a monumental NFL Draft move, aiming to beef up their backfield woes - Motorcycle Sports Australia
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Struggling Patriots eye Buckeyes' star Henderson in a monumental NFL Draft move, aiming to beef up their backfield woes Motorcycle Sports Australia

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LGHL Uncut: Cotie McMahon and Elsa Lemmilä dissect Ohio State overtime win over Minnesota

Uncut: Cotie McMahon and Elsa Lemmilä dissect Ohio State overtime win over Minnesota
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Minnesota v Ohio State

Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

That and coach McGuff on the 14-point collapse in the fourth quarter.

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio​


Thursday night, No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball returned to the court following a week out in California. After three quarters of touch-and-go basketball, the Buckeyes built a 14-point lead, only for it to vanish in the last five minutes of regulation against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Scarlet and Gray escaped with an 87-84 win over the Gophers, thanks to a big overtime period from forward Cotie McMahon and center Elsa Lemmilä. After the game, both spoke with the media, along with head coach Kevin McGuff.

The coach started the press conference by talking about the 14-point lead wiped away in the final minutes of the game, how McMahon wanted to take over in overtime, and the play of not only Lemmilä but fellow freshman Ava Watson.

Then, McMahon and Lemmilä discuss the final two offensive plays for the Buckeyes in the fourth quarter, what Lemmilä does well on offense that other freshmen have trouble adjusting to in the college game, and what McMahon said to coach McGuff after regulation to take the game on the forward’s shoulders.

Also, the reason McMahon addressed the Minnesota area of the crowd early in the first quarter.

That and more on the latest “Uncut.”


Connect with Thomas:
Bluesky: @ThomasCostello
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Google Ohio State Buckeyes Land Scheduled Visit From Top Offensive Recruit - Sports Illustrated

Ohio State Buckeyes Land Scheduled Visit From Top Offensive Recruit - Sports Illustrated
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes Land Scheduled Visit From Top Offensive Recruit Sports Illustrated
  2. Report: Ohio State finalizing deal with ex-Lions coach Matt Patricia to run Buckeyes' defense Yahoo Sports
  3. Former Ohio State and Patriots star delivers powerful message about new Buckeyes DC Matt Patricia AtoZ Sports

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LGHL Cotie McMahon exemplifies leadership in her own way for Ohio State women’s basketball

Cotie McMahon exemplifies leadership in her own way for Ohio State women’s basketball
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The forward isn’t afraid to call out her team, because she’ll call out her own mistakes and make up for them on the court

Leadership is easy when things are going well. Being the focal point of a team during a winning streak comes with accolades and applause from fans, coaches, and the national conversation.

Being in charge is a lot harder when things are going south.

Ohio State women’s basketball began the year 17-0. In that run, junior forward Cotie McMahon’s status went from undergrad churning out highlight after highlight to the position of vocal leader of the Buckeyes.

The questions to the Centerville native surrounding filling in the gap left by former guard Jacy Sheldon were endless, and beating everyone in Ohio State’s way made them easy to field.

When that winning form ran into speed bumps like a loss to winless in conference play Penn State (still their lone win in Big Ten play) or a pair of double-digit defeats to the top two teams in the conference, and two of the best programs in the nation, It was again McMahon who had to answer for it.

Follow McMahon on and off the court for even a short period of time and it’s easy to see that the junior is an open book. So, when answering for the team’s downfalls, McMahon was blunt, calling out the team for lacking grit and trying to do too much.

Thursday night, McMahon’s guidance over the Buckeyes was evident from the jump. Early in the first quarter, the junior addressed Minnesota fans behind the visitor bench who, as the junior said after the game, “There’s a difference between okay, I’m here to support my team and there’s a difference to just be some trolls.”

Against the Gophers themselves, McMahon led the Buckeyes with 21 points in 38 minutes of regulation, a night scoring above her season average and tying her single-game season high with six assists. It was a performance in which any player could take pride, but not when it’s in a game where Minnesota erased a 14-point deficit in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.

“As a team, we need to take pride in our defense,” said McMahon. “I believe that’s just really where we lack. We have certain people who really lock in on defense and then certain people who I wouldn’t say don’t lock in but just don’t take the next step that’s needed.”

A comment that sounded harsh but hard to argue considering the Golden Gophers outscored Ohio State 17-3 in the final four minutes and 28 seconds of the quarter, ending in five consecutive shots without a miss. Which included a three-pointer to tie the game with eight seconds remaining.

McMahon doesn’t just call out lackluster defense while ignoring her own shortcomings late in the game. The Buckeyes’ leader wasn’t perfect. With 41 seconds remaining, up four points, McMahon brought Ohio State out of a timeout and inbounded the ball to guard/forward Taylor Thierry, who was wide open near the baseline, a step outside of the paint. More accurately, McMahon inbounded the ball over the head of Thierry and out of the senior’s reach.

Despite the individual performance and key moments in the overtime, the moment rattled the forward even as she addressed it after the game.

“‘Y’all saw it, TT [Thierry] was wide open. I just overthrew the ball,” said McMahon, with a noticeable change in tone as she took ownership of the mistake.

On the court though it didn’t bring McMahon down. It pushed her harder.

“She really wanted to be involved in where we were going into overtime,” said McGuff. “She wanted to take big shots and get the ball in her hands. And, you know, a lot of times we deferred to Jacy [Sheldon] that in the last couple of years. So she’s really kind of stepped up in that space.”

McMahon rose to the occasion immediately in overtime, hitting two layups as the junior attacked the basket mercilessly on offense and for rebounds. The Buckeyes’ leader threw herself into three Minnesota players to grab an offensive rebound with the game tied, which turned into two second-chance points and a momentary lead.


Cotie plays through contact #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/guhgpycvN0

— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) February 14, 2025​
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While McMahon is maturing on the court, adding more range in her shooting, a strong turnaround jumper, and even consistent shots from beyond the arc, McMahon leads the way in a way she could have never done two seasons ago.

“Freshman Cotie probably would have been on the bench because I probably would have lost my mind,” said McMahon.

Instead, McMahon played all five minutes of overtime and alongside a breakout performance by freshman center Elsa Lemmilä to seal the victory, pushed Ohio State to the victory. Backing up the words calling out her teammates to do more because McMahon herself is doing more.

“I don’t have time to be BS-ing this year,” said McMahon. “My team is gonna need me in certain situations, especially like situations like today. So just staying level-headed and just taking ownership. Obviously, I knew I messed up on that pass and the game could have ended there but I mean just making sure that I went into overtime with my head up high and having hope.”

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