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LGHL Game Preview: No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball heads to No. 19 Maryland
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Game Preview: No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball heads to No. 19 Maryland
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes play their final conference game on the road, facing Brenda Frese and the Terrapins in College Park
The Big Ten gauntlet is finally coming to an end. After expansion pushed the conference to 18 teams and to a whole different oceanic coastline, the great college expansion experiment closes its first chapter on Sunday. For Ohio State women’s basketball, that means a matchup against the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins.
With the conference growth, it's the lone Big Ten opponent that either side faces twice in the regular season. While that usually means getting to adjust to a team and fix errors from the previous clash, with injuries and cold spells hurting both teams, it’s almost a brand new matchup when the two sides take to College Park on Sunday.
The last time these two teams played, the Terrapins out rebounded the Buckeyes and outshot them from beyond the arc. Even so, the 17 turnovers forced by Ohio State was enough to swing the tide in the Buckeyes’ favor for a 74-66 win.
This time, the Terrapins are a different team than the Buckeyes last played, in good and bad ways for Maryland. The good way is the return of guard Shyanne Sellers. Maryland’s leader on and off the court suffered a knee injury three days before playing the Buckeyes, missing the game against Ohio State.
Sellers returned six days later and has slowly been increasing her productivity over the last eight games, culminating with a big performance in the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday.
With 2:48 remaining in the third quarter, the Hoosiers cut a once 12-point third quarter deficit down to two points. At the time, Sellers had two points in the first 27:52 of the game. Sellers scored 21 points in the final 12:48, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and using her veteran savvy to get to the free throw line.
However, Sellers also picked up an intentional foul against Chloe Moore-McNeil who went on a break, which shows one concern for Sellers — she’s not close to 100 percent healthy. Head coach Brenda Frese has Sellers at about 70 to 75 percent healthy, according to a pregame interview with the Big Ten broadcasting team Thursday. Against Moore-McNeil, Sellers didn’t have the speed to keep up and instead used two arms to grab the streaking guard to stop her in her tracks.
Injured or not, Sellers still showed how dangerous the guard can be, and Ohio State can’t afford to leave her open on the perimeter.
That will be difficult for the Buckeyes with guard Kaylene Smikle in the game. The junior heads to the basket consistently with a full head of steam. Smikle is only second in the conference in free throws behind USC Trojan JuJu Watkins, showing how aggressive the Maryland guard truly is when she gets the ball in her hands.
Ohio State will crash to the paint to try and stop Smikle. When they do, Sellers will have opportunities, unless guard/forward Taylor Thierry shuts the senior down. Thierry is having a quiet year offensively but her best defensive performance in her final days of college basketball. Before fouling out against USC, Thierry held JuJu Watkins to 10 points in over three quarters. If that Thierry plays Sellers well, it could negate some of those veteran benefits the Terps have enjoyed the last two seasons with Sellers in charge.
What about the bad news on the Terps roster? They are likely to be without guard Saylor Poffenbarger.
On Feb. 20, Poffenbarger rolled her right ankle in practice before taking on the Northwestern Wildcats. Poffenbarger still played but during the game twisted her left ankle, which ended her game and ruled her out against Indiana on Thursday, with the guard wearing a boot on her left lower leg. Ohio State fans have seen these issues this year on their own team, with guard Ava Watson missing the last four games following a rough ankle sprain of her own.
With Poffenbarger questionable, it potentially leaves Frese’s side without its top rebounder and third best scorer. Poffenbarger also hits the second most three-point shots for Maryland per game, leaving a gaps all over the court.
It means Maryland will rotate a group of six consistent names and then two additional to give starters some rest. That gives Ohio State an advantage because of the speed head coach Kevin McGuff’s side prefers.
Against the Terps, point guard Jaloni Cambridge led all scorers with 20 points, adding eight rebounds in the Ohio State victory. What will be interesting in the matchup is how Maryland adjusts to playing Cambridge for the second time. This is the first time any team has played the freshman for a second time, but Cambridge is also pushing her game to another level as she adjusts to college basketball.
In the last eight games, Cambridge leads the Buckeyes with 19.4 points per game. Another key item to note in the last game between these two sides is guard Chance Gray had zero points, and forward Ajae Petty had seven. The game was at the start of a cold spell for both Buckeyes that’s defrosted of late.
Petty comes in on a record day against the No. 23 ranked Michigan State Spartans, scoring 23 points on a perfect 11-of-11 from the floor with 15 rebounds. Petty is playing more aggressively on the boards in the last two games and it’s at the right time with Maryland’s Christina Dalce’s 7.8 rebounds per game coming up.
With Poffenbarger potentially out, the Buckeyes rebounding should have a better day than the -11 margin against the Terps in January. Since then, freshman center Elsa Lemmilä is also more confident, giving the Buckeyes a two-headed monster inside the paint. Should the Petty and Lemmilä trend continue, it will make the day easier for the perimeter athletes of Ohio State.
Then there’s forward Cotie McMahon, who had a big day the last time she came to College Park. Last season, McMahon had a nice day with 16 points, but showed up even more on the boards with six offensive rebounds in the second half. It put away what was a close game between the two teams.
Lately, McMahon’s solid performances have been overshadowed by the play of Jaloni Cambridge’s 33 points against Michigan State and 21 points by Chance Gray over the Purdue Boilermakers in the game last Sunday. It benefits the Buckeyes to have more than just two players picking up the offensive load, but with McMahon she’s always there in case Ohio State needs a spark.
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Maryland
G- Kaylene Smikle
G- Sarah Te-Biasu
G- Shyanne Sellers
F- Christina Dalce
F- Allie Kubek
With Poffenbarger not likely to play, the Buckeyes will have a slight advantage on the boards. Ohio State will stay closer in the rebounding margin than their last time facing the Terrapins, although it being the last game in College Park for seniors, it’ll be a close game.
Thierry will have a strong offensive performance for the Buckeyes, while continuing her strong defense that sits her second in the conference in steals. The game will be close in the third quarter but Jaloni Cambridge will put the game away for Ohio State, with the Buckeyes going on a late run with Maryland reeling.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2025
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: XFINITY Center, College Park, MD
TV: FS1
Stream: FOX Sports App
Ohio State is already locked in to their seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes will be No. 3 in the field when the conference finalizes the bracket and shares it following Sunday’s games.
The Scarlet and Gray hold the tiebreaker over the Maryland Terrapins, who could tie the Buckeyes’ conference record if they win Sunday afternoon. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, which would be tied at 1-1 if Maryland wins. There aren’t any specifics in regard to an aggregate point structure in the head-to-head. It only uses wins and losses.
That pushes the tiebreaker to a second round where the two teams go down the Big Ten standings and see who has a win over the other side higher up the standings. The Buckeyes win over the Illinois Fighting Illini to start the conference calendar, and a loss for the Terps against head coach Shauna Green’s side, means Ohio State owns the second tiebreaker.
On Sunday, the rest of the fun will be what happens to the remaining seeds in the tournament. It all starts at 1:30 p.m. ET when the Michigan Wolverines head to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini. Get your comfy clothes on, find your favorite couch imprint, and get ready for a day of Big Ten basketball.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes play their final conference game on the road, facing Brenda Frese and the Terrapins in College Park
The Big Ten gauntlet is finally coming to an end. After expansion pushed the conference to 18 teams and to a whole different oceanic coastline, the great college expansion experiment closes its first chapter on Sunday. For Ohio State women’s basketball, that means a matchup against the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins.
With the conference growth, it's the lone Big Ten opponent that either side faces twice in the regular season. While that usually means getting to adjust to a team and fix errors from the previous clash, with injuries and cold spells hurting both teams, it’s almost a brand new matchup when the two sides take to College Park on Sunday.
Preview
The last time these two teams played, the Terrapins out rebounded the Buckeyes and outshot them from beyond the arc. Even so, the 17 turnovers forced by Ohio State was enough to swing the tide in the Buckeyes’ favor for a 74-66 win.
This time, the Terrapins are a different team than the Buckeyes last played, in good and bad ways for Maryland. The good way is the return of guard Shyanne Sellers. Maryland’s leader on and off the court suffered a knee injury three days before playing the Buckeyes, missing the game against Ohio State.
Sellers returned six days later and has slowly been increasing her productivity over the last eight games, culminating with a big performance in the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday.
With 2:48 remaining in the third quarter, the Hoosiers cut a once 12-point third quarter deficit down to two points. At the time, Sellers had two points in the first 27:52 of the game. Sellers scored 21 points in the final 12:48, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and using her veteran savvy to get to the free throw line.
However, Sellers also picked up an intentional foul against Chloe Moore-McNeil who went on a break, which shows one concern for Sellers — she’s not close to 100 percent healthy. Head coach Brenda Frese has Sellers at about 70 to 75 percent healthy, according to a pregame interview with the Big Ten broadcasting team Thursday. Against Moore-McNeil, Sellers didn’t have the speed to keep up and instead used two arms to grab the streaking guard to stop her in her tracks.
Injured or not, Sellers still showed how dangerous the guard can be, and Ohio State can’t afford to leave her open on the perimeter.
That will be difficult for the Buckeyes with guard Kaylene Smikle in the game. The junior heads to the basket consistently with a full head of steam. Smikle is only second in the conference in free throws behind USC Trojan JuJu Watkins, showing how aggressive the Maryland guard truly is when she gets the ball in her hands.
Ohio State will crash to the paint to try and stop Smikle. When they do, Sellers will have opportunities, unless guard/forward Taylor Thierry shuts the senior down. Thierry is having a quiet year offensively but her best defensive performance in her final days of college basketball. Before fouling out against USC, Thierry held JuJu Watkins to 10 points in over three quarters. If that Thierry plays Sellers well, it could negate some of those veteran benefits the Terps have enjoyed the last two seasons with Sellers in charge.
What about the bad news on the Terps roster? They are likely to be without guard Saylor Poffenbarger.
On Feb. 20, Poffenbarger rolled her right ankle in practice before taking on the Northwestern Wildcats. Poffenbarger still played but during the game twisted her left ankle, which ended her game and ruled her out against Indiana on Thursday, with the guard wearing a boot on her left lower leg. Ohio State fans have seen these issues this year on their own team, with guard Ava Watson missing the last four games following a rough ankle sprain of her own.
With Poffenbarger questionable, it potentially leaves Frese’s side without its top rebounder and third best scorer. Poffenbarger also hits the second most three-point shots for Maryland per game, leaving a gaps all over the court.
It means Maryland will rotate a group of six consistent names and then two additional to give starters some rest. That gives Ohio State an advantage because of the speed head coach Kevin McGuff’s side prefers.
Against the Terps, point guard Jaloni Cambridge led all scorers with 20 points, adding eight rebounds in the Ohio State victory. What will be interesting in the matchup is how Maryland adjusts to playing Cambridge for the second time. This is the first time any team has played the freshman for a second time, but Cambridge is also pushing her game to another level as she adjusts to college basketball.
In the last eight games, Cambridge leads the Buckeyes with 19.4 points per game. Another key item to note in the last game between these two sides is guard Chance Gray had zero points, and forward Ajae Petty had seven. The game was at the start of a cold spell for both Buckeyes that’s defrosted of late.
Petty comes in on a record day against the No. 23 ranked Michigan State Spartans, scoring 23 points on a perfect 11-of-11 from the floor with 15 rebounds. Petty is playing more aggressively on the boards in the last two games and it’s at the right time with Maryland’s Christina Dalce’s 7.8 rebounds per game coming up.
With Poffenbarger potentially out, the Buckeyes rebounding should have a better day than the -11 margin against the Terps in January. Since then, freshman center Elsa Lemmilä is also more confident, giving the Buckeyes a two-headed monster inside the paint. Should the Petty and Lemmilä trend continue, it will make the day easier for the perimeter athletes of Ohio State.
Then there’s forward Cotie McMahon, who had a big day the last time she came to College Park. Last season, McMahon had a nice day with 16 points, but showed up even more on the boards with six offensive rebounds in the second half. It put away what was a close game between the two teams.
Lately, McMahon’s solid performances have been overshadowed by the play of Jaloni Cambridge’s 33 points against Michigan State and 21 points by Chance Gray over the Purdue Boilermakers in the game last Sunday. It benefits the Buckeyes to have more than just two players picking up the offensive load, but with McMahon she’s always there in case Ohio State needs a spark.
Projected Starters
Ohio State
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Lineup Notes
- Ajae Petty is fifth in the Big Ten shooting efficiency at 59 percent.
- Elsa Lemmilä’s 57 blocks on the season is the most since Tori McCoy had 59 in the 16-17 season. The freshman record of 159 was set two years prior by Alexa Hart.
- The Buckeyes’ 354 steals this season is the fourth most in program history. The program record is 406 for the 2022-23 season.
Maryland
G- Kaylene Smikle
G- Sarah Te-Biasu
G- Shyanne Sellers
F- Christina Dalce
F- Allie Kubek
Lineup Notes
- Shyanne Sellers is fifth in the Big Ten in turnovers, giving the ball away 3.1 times per game.
- Kaylene Smikle is the only Terp to start every game this season for Maryland.
- Coach Frese used nine different starting lineups this season.
Prediction
With Poffenbarger not likely to play, the Buckeyes will have a slight advantage on the boards. Ohio State will stay closer in the rebounding margin than their last time facing the Terrapins, although it being the last game in College Park for seniors, it’ll be a close game.
Thierry will have a strong offensive performance for the Buckeyes, while continuing her strong defense that sits her second in the conference in steals. The game will be close in the third quarter but Jaloni Cambridge will put the game away for Ohio State, with the Buckeyes going on a late run with Maryland reeling.
How to Watch
Date: Sunday, Feb. 1, 2025
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: XFINITY Center, College Park, MD
TV: FS1
Stream: FOX Sports App
LGHL Score Prediction: 75-64, Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten Tournament Seeding
Ohio State is already locked in to their seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes will be No. 3 in the field when the conference finalizes the bracket and shares it following Sunday’s games.
The Scarlet and Gray hold the tiebreaker over the Maryland Terrapins, who could tie the Buckeyes’ conference record if they win Sunday afternoon. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, which would be tied at 1-1 if Maryland wins. There aren’t any specifics in regard to an aggregate point structure in the head-to-head. It only uses wins and losses.
That pushes the tiebreaker to a second round where the two teams go down the Big Ten standings and see who has a win over the other side higher up the standings. The Buckeyes win over the Illinois Fighting Illini to start the conference calendar, and a loss for the Terps against head coach Shauna Green’s side, means Ohio State owns the second tiebreaker.
On Sunday, the rest of the fun will be what happens to the remaining seeds in the tournament. It all starts at 1:30 p.m. ET when the Michigan Wolverines head to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini. Get your comfy clothes on, find your favorite couch imprint, and get ready for a day of Big Ten basketball.
Continue reading...
LGHL What does Ohio State need to do to host during March Madness?
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- 0 Replies
What does Ohio State need to do to host during March Madness?
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Buckeyes have their backs against the wall, seeding-wise. Here’s what the Buckeyes need to do to solidify a top-16 seed
For the past two seasons, the start of the NCAA Tournament went through Columbus, Ohio. Unlike the men’s tournament, the women’s edition features the top-16 teams in the 68-team field hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. From there, the four brackets more to two regional locations. This season, the Buckeyes hosting isn’t a sure bet like last season when the Scarlet and Gray entered a No. 2 seed.
This year, Ohio State sits at No. 16 in the top-16 released by the NCAA Tournament committee. Fall one more spot and the Buckeyes have to pack up and get on the road to one of the 16 locations.
The Buckeyes don’t only avoid lengthy travel to possibly as far west as California and as far south as Austin, Texas, but get to play at home where Ohio State is 15-0 this season.
Here’s what the Scarlet and Gray have to do in order to make sure it happens.
Simple enough, but it is the only area where the Buckeyes are in complete control. It begins Sunday when Ohio State travels to College Park, Maryland to face the No. 18 Maryland Terrapins.
On Jan. 23, the Buckeyes defeated the Terrapins in Columbus, 74-66. In that game, both Maryland guards Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDaniel missed due to injury. For McDaniel, it was an ACL tear earlier in January that rules the Terrapin’s sixth player out until likely halfway through the 25-26 season. Sellers missed due to a knee injury sustained against the Texas Longhorns three days prior.
Going to Maryland is a quad one game, meaning the toughest level of competition according to the NCAA’s NET rankings. The quad system, combined with NET rankings, helps the tournament committee work on more than AP voters or the eye test. Right now, the Buckeyes are 3-3 in quad one games. A win against the Terps is one step in the right direction.
The higher quality result, the more it weighs in the NET rankings. Now, it’s not the only metric the committee will look at, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Playing away from home, against a team ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings, through Thursday’s games, will only help Ohio State’s cause.
After that, the Scarlet and Gray need to get a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State can’t afford a repeat of last year’s lopsided tournament defeat to the Terps if it hopes to hold on to a starting spot. There’s also a strong chance that game is a quad one contest, with Ohio State the No. 3 seed in the tournament (not officially until the end of Sunday’s games). That lines up with potential games against Illinois, Indiana or Michigan, amongst others.
Win two games and that will likely cement hosting duties with either the USC Trojans or UCLA Bruins on their side of the conference tournament bracket. The loser of Saturday night’s monumental game between the Bruins and Trojans will be the program on Ohio State’s side of the bracket.
Ohio State doesn’t have to win the whole thing, although fans would love to see a tournament trophy in the cabinet, the first one since Kelsey Mitchell led the Buckeyes in 2018.
This is not for the Buckeyes. What Ohio State can’t control is what happens to teams near the bottom or just outside of the top-16. Take Thursday night for instance. The No. 20 Alabama Crimson Tide welcomed the No. 7 LSU Tigers and with former Buckeye guard Diana Collins playing extra minutes due to teammates in foul trouble, Alabama upset LSU at home.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25892574/2201732970.jpg "LSU v Alabama")
Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images
That win moved Alabama up two spots in the NET rankings, with a commentator at the end of the game even saying that the win could put Alabama in the top-16. Now, take what commentators say with a grain of salt, especially when it’s an SEC Network commentator on an SEC Network broadcast, but Alabama sits two spots ahead of the Buckeyes now in the NET.
Ohio State doesn’t need Alabama going to Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday and beating the Oklahoma Sooners for a second straight upset. That could be all the side needs, giving Alabama a 6-6 record in quad one games, playing in five more than the Buckeyes this season.
Teams near Ohio State in the top-16 are the Kansas State Wildcats at No. 15, Kentucky Wildcats at No. 14, Sooners at No. 13 and Tennessee Volunteers at No. 11.
Kentucky didn’t do the Buckeyes any favors on Thursday, beating up the Vols in Lexington in an 82-58 victory. Head coach Kenny Brooks’ Wildcats have one game remaining in the regular season, against the South Carolina Gamecocks, in Columbia, South Carolina.
For the Wildcats of Kansas, they have one game left in the regular season, against the Iowa State Cyclones. Depending on the availability of center Ayoka Lee, Iowa State has a chance to upset the Wildcats and possibly fall below the Buckeyes. The two sides went to overtime on Jan. 30, with Kansas State pulling away with the home victory. Ohio State fans need center Audi Crooks and the Cyclones to upset K-State.
The teams outside of the top-16 are the most dangerous. Outside of the aforementioned Crimson Tide, the West Virginia Mountaineers, Baylor Bears and Ole Miss Rebels are sides battling for hosting duties and all three are ahead of the Buckeyes in NET.
Baylor is on a nine-game winning streak, including ranked wins against K-State and West Virginia. The Bears face the TCU Horned Frogs at home Sunday afternoon, with the winner earning sole possession of the Big 12 regular season championship. A TCU win might hold off Baylor from kicking the Buckeyes out of contention. Baylor’s last loss was coincidentally against Hailey Van Lith and the Horned Frogs, losing by five points away from home back on Jan. 26.
Ole Miss fell to the Gamecocks Thursday night and face the Tigers on Sunday, the first game for LSU since their loss to Alabama.
These are only regular season matchups too. Then the Buckeyes need slip-ups in conference tournaments.
The one thing that could have helped even more was a tougher non-conference schedule, which can’t be changed now. Head coach Kevin McGuff had a clear strategy in mind to allow his young team with three new starters time to mesh. It’s easier to do that winning games than falling to top ranked teams.
Host March Madness or not, how the Buckeyes play on Sunday and in the Big Ten Tournament are good indicators of postseason success. Over the last two games, Ohio State is playing their best basketball of the season and at the right time. Should those performances continue, where the Scarlet and Gray sleep at night may not have much of an impact.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Buckeyes have their backs against the wall, seeding-wise. Here’s what the Buckeyes need to do to solidify a top-16 seed
For the past two seasons, the start of the NCAA Tournament went through Columbus, Ohio. Unlike the men’s tournament, the women’s edition features the top-16 teams in the 68-team field hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. From there, the four brackets more to two regional locations. This season, the Buckeyes hosting isn’t a sure bet like last season when the Scarlet and Gray entered a No. 2 seed.
This year, Ohio State sits at No. 16 in the top-16 released by the NCAA Tournament committee. Fall one more spot and the Buckeyes have to pack up and get on the road to one of the 16 locations.
The Buckeyes don’t only avoid lengthy travel to possibly as far west as California and as far south as Austin, Texas, but get to play at home where Ohio State is 15-0 this season.
Here’s what the Scarlet and Gray have to do in order to make sure it happens.
Win
Simple enough, but it is the only area where the Buckeyes are in complete control. It begins Sunday when Ohio State travels to College Park, Maryland to face the No. 18 Maryland Terrapins.
On Jan. 23, the Buckeyes defeated the Terrapins in Columbus, 74-66. In that game, both Maryland guards Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDaniel missed due to injury. For McDaniel, it was an ACL tear earlier in January that rules the Terrapin’s sixth player out until likely halfway through the 25-26 season. Sellers missed due to a knee injury sustained against the Texas Longhorns three days prior.
Going to Maryland is a quad one game, meaning the toughest level of competition according to the NCAA’s NET rankings. The quad system, combined with NET rankings, helps the tournament committee work on more than AP voters or the eye test. Right now, the Buckeyes are 3-3 in quad one games. A win against the Terps is one step in the right direction.
The higher quality result, the more it weighs in the NET rankings. Now, it’s not the only metric the committee will look at, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Playing away from home, against a team ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings, through Thursday’s games, will only help Ohio State’s cause.
After that, the Scarlet and Gray need to get a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State can’t afford a repeat of last year’s lopsided tournament defeat to the Terps if it hopes to hold on to a starting spot. There’s also a strong chance that game is a quad one contest, with Ohio State the No. 3 seed in the tournament (not officially until the end of Sunday’s games). That lines up with potential games against Illinois, Indiana or Michigan, amongst others.
Win two games and that will likely cement hosting duties with either the USC Trojans or UCLA Bruins on their side of the conference tournament bracket. The loser of Saturday night’s monumental game between the Bruins and Trojans will be the program on Ohio State’s side of the bracket.
Ohio State doesn’t have to win the whole thing, although fans would love to see a tournament trophy in the cabinet, the first one since Kelsey Mitchell led the Buckeyes in 2018.
No More Alabama Upsets
This is not for the Buckeyes. What Ohio State can’t control is what happens to teams near the bottom or just outside of the top-16. Take Thursday night for instance. The No. 20 Alabama Crimson Tide welcomed the No. 7 LSU Tigers and with former Buckeye guard Diana Collins playing extra minutes due to teammates in foul trouble, Alabama upset LSU at home.
That win moved Alabama up two spots in the NET rankings, with a commentator at the end of the game even saying that the win could put Alabama in the top-16. Now, take what commentators say with a grain of salt, especially when it’s an SEC Network commentator on an SEC Network broadcast, but Alabama sits two spots ahead of the Buckeyes now in the NET.
Ohio State doesn’t need Alabama going to Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday and beating the Oklahoma Sooners for a second straight upset. That could be all the side needs, giving Alabama a 6-6 record in quad one games, playing in five more than the Buckeyes this season.
Key Losses for Other Teams
Teams near Ohio State in the top-16 are the Kansas State Wildcats at No. 15, Kentucky Wildcats at No. 14, Sooners at No. 13 and Tennessee Volunteers at No. 11.
Kentucky didn’t do the Buckeyes any favors on Thursday, beating up the Vols in Lexington in an 82-58 victory. Head coach Kenny Brooks’ Wildcats have one game remaining in the regular season, against the South Carolina Gamecocks, in Columbia, South Carolina.
For the Wildcats of Kansas, they have one game left in the regular season, against the Iowa State Cyclones. Depending on the availability of center Ayoka Lee, Iowa State has a chance to upset the Wildcats and possibly fall below the Buckeyes. The two sides went to overtime on Jan. 30, with Kansas State pulling away with the home victory. Ohio State fans need center Audi Crooks and the Cyclones to upset K-State.
The teams outside of the top-16 are the most dangerous. Outside of the aforementioned Crimson Tide, the West Virginia Mountaineers, Baylor Bears and Ole Miss Rebels are sides battling for hosting duties and all three are ahead of the Buckeyes in NET.
Baylor is on a nine-game winning streak, including ranked wins against K-State and West Virginia. The Bears face the TCU Horned Frogs at home Sunday afternoon, with the winner earning sole possession of the Big 12 regular season championship. A TCU win might hold off Baylor from kicking the Buckeyes out of contention. Baylor’s last loss was coincidentally against Hailey Van Lith and the Horned Frogs, losing by five points away from home back on Jan. 26.
Ole Miss fell to the Gamecocks Thursday night and face the Tigers on Sunday, the first game for LSU since their loss to Alabama.
These are only regular season matchups too. Then the Buckeyes need slip-ups in conference tournaments.
The one thing that could have helped even more was a tougher non-conference schedule, which can’t be changed now. Head coach Kevin McGuff had a clear strategy in mind to allow his young team with three new starters time to mesh. It’s easier to do that winning games than falling to top ranked teams.
Host March Madness or not, how the Buckeyes play on Sunday and in the Big Ten Tournament are good indicators of postseason success. Over the last two games, Ohio State is playing their best basketball of the season and at the right time. Should those performances continue, where the Scarlet and Gray sleep at night may not have much of an impact.
Continue reading...
