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LGHL Big Ten Title Race: Ohio State women’s basketball and Iowa deadlocked
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Big Ten Title Race: Ohio State women’s basketball and Iowa deadlocked
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 Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Tied at the top of the conference, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes seven games away from a winner-take-all in Iowa City
With less than a month remaining in the Big Ten women’s basketball schedule, it’s a better time than ever to take a look at the standings. More specifically, the regular season title race. With seven games remaining, Ohio State women’s basketball and the Iowa Hawkeyes are tied atop of the conference. Barring a slip-up by either side, and there are plenty of chances for those, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes' March 3, 2024 game in Iowa City, Iowa has all the makings of a championship game.
Here’s how the rest of the regular season looks for both:
Outside of two games, the two teams tied atop the conference standings have similar roads to the season finale. Each side plays six games where the opponent is more than happy to dethrone one of the top teams in the conference; plus two teams that both sides face who are fighting for one of the last double-bye spots for the Big Ten Tournament.
The odds are in the Hawkeyes’ favor, considering all seven remaining games for both sides. Ohio State has one less home game, facing three teams away from the Schottenstein Center that the Buckeyes struggled against so far this season.
It begins on Sunday. Traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, the Buckeyes face the Michigan State Spartans, who lost to Ohio State by five points on Jan. 14. The scarlet and gray struggled offensively against Sparty but made up for it defensively, holding a team that averaged 89 points per game entering the contest to 65 points. Playing at the Breslin Center, Michigan State has home home-court advantage and, as of publishing, has a four-game winning streak.
Ohio State’s last two away games of the regular season feature matchups against teams the Buckeyes needed overtime to overcome.
Penn State’s advantages against the scarlet and gray are twofold. First, former All-American guard Ashley Owusu finally made it to the court, returning from injury. In seven appearances — including five starts — Owusu averages 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. The second is the history behind the matchup. On Feb. 22, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions won’t play in the Bryce Jordan Center. Instead, the two teams play at historic Rec Hall.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25272641/usa_today_22416683.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: Penn St. at Minnesota")
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
For Ohio State fans, it's like having the Buckeyes play at St. John’s Arena instead of the Schottenstein Center.
Then, before the final game of the season, the home games aren’t much easier for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side. Ohio State faces the Maryland Terrapins and Michigan Wolverines (the only team to beat the Buckeyes this season in conference play).
On Iowa’s side, the toughest game of the six games that aren’t against Ohio State is a trip to Assembly Hall. Earlier this season, the Hawkeyes dismantled the Indiana Hoosiers, but that was in Iowa City. With losses against the scarlet and gray and Iowa, Indiana sits in third place, with the only realistic chance of repeating as season champions coming with a win over the Hawkeyes.
Making things difficult for both conference leaders is a group of four sides all playing for the last double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan all are within 1.5 games of the fourth seed of the tournament, with results going in every kind of direction. Tuesday night, the Cornhuskers beat the Wolverines, after Michigan beat Penn State on Saturday.
For Nebraska, it was their second win over the Wolverines. The Cornhuskers also have an early conference season win against the Maryland Terrapins but entered Tuesday’s game against Michigan off a loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It was Rutgers’ first Big Ten win of the season.
In other words: it's hard to predict what will happen next in the Big Ten.
For the rest of the season, check back for weekly updates on the standings, game results, and more.
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 Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Tied at the top of the conference, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes seven games away from a winner-take-all in Iowa City
With less than a month remaining in the Big Ten women’s basketball schedule, it’s a better time than ever to take a look at the standings. More specifically, the regular season title race. With seven games remaining, Ohio State women’s basketball and the Iowa Hawkeyes are tied atop of the conference. Barring a slip-up by either side, and there are plenty of chances for those, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes' March 3, 2024 game in Iowa City, Iowa has all the makings of a championship game.
Here’s how the rest of the regular season looks for both:
Outside of two games, the two teams tied atop the conference standings have similar roads to the season finale. Each side plays six games where the opponent is more than happy to dethrone one of the top teams in the conference; plus two teams that both sides face who are fighting for one of the last double-bye spots for the Big Ten Tournament.
Who Has the Tougher Schedule?
The odds are in the Hawkeyes’ favor, considering all seven remaining games for both sides. Ohio State has one less home game, facing three teams away from the Schottenstein Center that the Buckeyes struggled against so far this season.
It begins on Sunday. Traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, the Buckeyes face the Michigan State Spartans, who lost to Ohio State by five points on Jan. 14. The scarlet and gray struggled offensively against Sparty but made up for it defensively, holding a team that averaged 89 points per game entering the contest to 65 points. Playing at the Breslin Center, Michigan State has home home-court advantage and, as of publishing, has a four-game winning streak.
Ohio State’s last two away games of the regular season feature matchups against teams the Buckeyes needed overtime to overcome.
Penn State’s advantages against the scarlet and gray are twofold. First, former All-American guard Ashley Owusu finally made it to the court, returning from injury. In seven appearances — including five starts — Owusu averages 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. The second is the history behind the matchup. On Feb. 22, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions won’t play in the Bryce Jordan Center. Instead, the two teams play at historic Rec Hall.
For Ohio State fans, it's like having the Buckeyes play at St. John’s Arena instead of the Schottenstein Center.
Then, before the final game of the season, the home games aren’t much easier for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side. Ohio State faces the Maryland Terrapins and Michigan Wolverines (the only team to beat the Buckeyes this season in conference play).
On Iowa’s side, the toughest game of the six games that aren’t against Ohio State is a trip to Assembly Hall. Earlier this season, the Hawkeyes dismantled the Indiana Hoosiers, but that was in Iowa City. With losses against the scarlet and gray and Iowa, Indiana sits in third place, with the only realistic chance of repeating as season champions coming with a win over the Hawkeyes.
Battle for Fourth
Making things difficult for both conference leaders is a group of four sides all playing for the last double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan all are within 1.5 games of the fourth seed of the tournament, with results going in every kind of direction. Tuesday night, the Cornhuskers beat the Wolverines, after Michigan beat Penn State on Saturday.
For Nebraska, it was their second win over the Wolverines. The Cornhuskers also have an early conference season win against the Maryland Terrapins but entered Tuesday’s game against Michigan off a loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It was Rutgers’ first Big Ten win of the season.
In other words: it's hard to predict what will happen next in the Big Ten.
For the rest of the season, check back for weekly updates on the standings, game results, and more.
Continue reading...
LGHL Game Preview: No. 5 Ohio State women’s basketball at Minnesota
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Game Preview: No. 5 Ohio State women’s basketball at Minnesota
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
The Buckeyes face the Golden Gophers, who are missing their star sophomore.
Each season, surprise teams join the conversation early in the season, but the early success doesn’t last. The Minnesota Golden Gophers fit that definition, but with a good reason for the eventual fall.
Thursday night, Ohio State women’s basketball faces the Golden Gophers for the only time in the regular season. Although Minnesota is without its star, the Buckeyes can’t look past Minnesota — especially because of the team’s remaining strength.
Guard Mara Braun’s injury was devastating for Minnesota. In the fourth quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini, Braun injured her right foot when she landed on the foot of an Illini defender. The next morning, Braun had surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. It leaves an irreplaceable hole for the Golden Gophers.
Braun is only a sophomore, but in her first year in Minneapolis, Braun already led the Gophers in points. This year, Braun was scoring more and improving her game all-around. After having a successful summer with Team USA 3x3, the sophomore was scoring, rebounding and assisting higher than her freshman year, fitting comfortably as the player Minnesota can build around in the future.
Now, Minnesota is struggling in ways that bode well for the Buckeyes’ strengths. Namely, turnovers. Without Braun on the court attracting attention, and in-turn leaving teammates open, the Gophers are turning the ball over.
In the first 20 games of the season, Minnesota averaged 12.2 turnovers per game. Since Braun’s injury, two losses ended with 15 and 18 turnovers. In the 18-turnover defeat, the Michigan State Spartans used a full court press, not too dissimilar to the Buckeyes’, to come away with a 12-point victory.
Replacing Braun is fifth year senior Janay Sanders. Before Minnesota, Sanders played three seasons at Appalachian State after playing her freshman season at La Salle. Since joining the starting roster, Sanders has 36 points in two games, but not from beyond the arc like Braun. Although, Sanders attacking the paint combines with the way Minnesota could expose Ohio State: Through the post.
Minnesota isn’t like many teams in NCAA women’s basketball. First-year Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit starts two guards, but then a pair of forwards along with a center. In the power forward and center roles are Mallory Heyer and Sophia Hart.
Last January, in Minnesota, Heyer scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. In that game, the Gophers outscored the Buckeyes 42 to 30 in the paint, leading Ohio State by 10 points with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. This year, Hart makes the side even more formidable.
Hart joined the Golden Gophers in the offseason, transferring from NC State. The junior stands at 6-foot-5, but never started for the Wolfpack in two seasons. This year, the center averages 5.1 rebounds per game. The big isn’t as agile as centers like Wisconsin’s Serah Williams or Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes, but Ohio State already has its struggles against strong post players and Minnesota has two.
Regardless, the Buckeyes are riding a nine-game winning streak, including wins over then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers. Overall, the Golden Gophers are still a young team, with Sanders and Hart the lone upperclassmen receiving substantial minutes — and they’re both first-year players with Minnesota.
The advantage is the Buckeyes’ to take. Guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor will face Sanders and sophomore Amaya Battle. Sheldon and Taylor have shown already this season that they’re not an easy duo to beat. As long as Taylor stays out of foul trouble early, Minnesota will find it difficult building confidence in the first half.
Thursday’s game has a big night written all over it for forward Cotie McMahon. Wednesday, at media availability, head coach Kevin McGuff shared that McMahon was upset to not get double-double against the Hoosiers on Sunday. McMahon can go at the Gophers’ bigs and find open teammates.
Should Ohio State convert them closer to the performance against Indiana, hitting 42.9% from beyond the arc, there won’t be much Minnesota can do to stop the Buckeyes.
G- Jacy Sheldon
G- Celeste Taylor
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Rebeka Mikulášikova
G- Amaya Battle
G- Janay Sanders
F- Grace Grocholski
F- Mallory Heyer
C- Sophie Hart
Without Braun, the Golden Gophers lack the bite needed to beat the Buckeyes. Ohio State will have a down quarter in the first half, as usual, but it’s the scarlet and gray’s game to lose.
The Buckeyes will force turnovers — at least 20 — and make three-point shots at a regular clip. That’ll go through McMahon, who will hit a double-double after not reaching the mark against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2024
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stream: Peacock
This week, three Buckeyes earned weekly and season-long recognition. For games last week, the USBWA (U.S. Basketball Writers Association) gave Sheldon a spot in its weekly starting five. Also, the Big Ten gave McMahon a spot on the weekly honor roll.
On the annual honor, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame awards put Taylor on the Defensive Player of the Year midseason team. Taylor’s 81.6 defensive rating is third in the Big Ten.
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
The Buckeyes face the Golden Gophers, who are missing their star sophomore.
Each season, surprise teams join the conversation early in the season, but the early success doesn’t last. The Minnesota Golden Gophers fit that definition, but with a good reason for the eventual fall.
Thursday night, Ohio State women’s basketball faces the Golden Gophers for the only time in the regular season. Although Minnesota is without its star, the Buckeyes can’t look past Minnesota — especially because of the team’s remaining strength.
Preview
Guard Mara Braun’s injury was devastating for Minnesota. In the fourth quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini, Braun injured her right foot when she landed on the foot of an Illini defender. The next morning, Braun had surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. It leaves an irreplaceable hole for the Golden Gophers.
Braun is only a sophomore, but in her first year in Minneapolis, Braun already led the Gophers in points. This year, Braun was scoring more and improving her game all-around. After having a successful summer with Team USA 3x3, the sophomore was scoring, rebounding and assisting higher than her freshman year, fitting comfortably as the player Minnesota can build around in the future.
Now, Minnesota is struggling in ways that bode well for the Buckeyes’ strengths. Namely, turnovers. Without Braun on the court attracting attention, and in-turn leaving teammates open, the Gophers are turning the ball over.
In the first 20 games of the season, Minnesota averaged 12.2 turnovers per game. Since Braun’s injury, two losses ended with 15 and 18 turnovers. In the 18-turnover defeat, the Michigan State Spartans used a full court press, not too dissimilar to the Buckeyes’, to come away with a 12-point victory.
Replacing Braun is fifth year senior Janay Sanders. Before Minnesota, Sanders played three seasons at Appalachian State after playing her freshman season at La Salle. Since joining the starting roster, Sanders has 36 points in two games, but not from beyond the arc like Braun. Although, Sanders attacking the paint combines with the way Minnesota could expose Ohio State: Through the post.
Minnesota isn’t like many teams in NCAA women’s basketball. First-year Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit starts two guards, but then a pair of forwards along with a center. In the power forward and center roles are Mallory Heyer and Sophia Hart.
Last January, in Minnesota, Heyer scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. In that game, the Gophers outscored the Buckeyes 42 to 30 in the paint, leading Ohio State by 10 points with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. This year, Hart makes the side even more formidable.
Hart joined the Golden Gophers in the offseason, transferring from NC State. The junior stands at 6-foot-5, but never started for the Wolfpack in two seasons. This year, the center averages 5.1 rebounds per game. The big isn’t as agile as centers like Wisconsin’s Serah Williams or Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes, but Ohio State already has its struggles against strong post players and Minnesota has two.
Regardless, the Buckeyes are riding a nine-game winning streak, including wins over then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers. Overall, the Golden Gophers are still a young team, with Sanders and Hart the lone upperclassmen receiving substantial minutes — and they’re both first-year players with Minnesota.
The advantage is the Buckeyes’ to take. Guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor will face Sanders and sophomore Amaya Battle. Sheldon and Taylor have shown already this season that they’re not an easy duo to beat. As long as Taylor stays out of foul trouble early, Minnesota will find it difficult building confidence in the first half.
Thursday’s game has a big night written all over it for forward Cotie McMahon. Wednesday, at media availability, head coach Kevin McGuff shared that McMahon was upset to not get double-double against the Hoosiers on Sunday. McMahon can go at the Gophers’ bigs and find open teammates.
Should Ohio State convert them closer to the performance against Indiana, hitting 42.9% from beyond the arc, there won’t be much Minnesota can do to stop the Buckeyes.
Ohio State
G- Jacy Sheldon
G- Celeste Taylor
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Rebeka Mikulášikova
Lineup Notes
- Guard Jacy Sheldon’s 25 points on Sunday put her at 35 career games scoring at least 20 points.
- Ohio State is on a 12-game winning streak against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, although three of those were vacated due to NCAA violations.
- Forward Taylor Thierry won 17 of the Buckeyes’ 22 jump balls to start games this season
Minnesota
G- Amaya Battle
G- Janay Sanders
F- Grace Grocholski
F- Mallory Heyer
C- Sophie Hart
Lineup Notes
- Forward Mallory Meyer is fourth in the Big Ten in rebounds per game with 8.3
- As a team, Minnesota is third in the conference in rebounding, averaging 40.3 per game.
- Since guard Mara Braun’s injury, point guard Amaya Battle has had 17 turnovers in two games. In the previous 20 games, Battle averages 3.1 turnovers per game.
Prediction
Without Braun, the Golden Gophers lack the bite needed to beat the Buckeyes. Ohio State will have a down quarter in the first half, as usual, but it’s the scarlet and gray’s game to lose.
The Buckeyes will force turnovers — at least 20 — and make three-point shots at a regular clip. That’ll go through McMahon, who will hit a double-double after not reaching the mark against the Indiana Hoosiers.
How to Watch
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2024
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stream: Peacock
LGHL Prediction: 86-60 Ohio State Buckeyes
Week of Accolades
This week, three Buckeyes earned weekly and season-long recognition. For games last week, the USBWA (U.S. Basketball Writers Association) gave Sheldon a spot in its weekly starting five. Also, the Big Ten gave McMahon a spot on the weekly honor roll.
On the annual honor, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame awards put Taylor on the Defensive Player of the Year midseason team. Taylor’s 81.6 defensive rating is third in the Big Ten.
Celeste Taylor has been named to the Women’s Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist@_celeste620 pic.twitter.com/7vgt5kFsay
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) February 7, 2024
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