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Big Ten Title Race: Iowa falls, Ohio State women’s basketball’s title path is tough, but clear
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday’s Big Ten action surprises and clears up the race for the regular season crown
Ohio State women’s basketball fell on Dec. 30 to the Michigan Wolverines. Since then, the defeat and subsequent win over the Iowa Hawkeyes put the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes in a dead heat to a season finale in Iowa City to decide the Big Ten regular season title. Now, after a Sunday full of drama and intrigue in the Big Ten, the scarlet and gray can secure its 17th conference season trophy one day: Win out.
That’s easier said than done, but the Hawkeyes' loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and Buckeyes' win over the Michigan State Spartans, puts the scarlet and gray in the driver’s seat.
It all happened with the Hawkeyes sitting comfortably in the fourth quarter, up 14 points in Lincoln, Nebraska. Superstar guard Caitlin Clark sat eight points away from the NCAA scoring record at the start of the final quarter. It looked like the fans in attendance would see an Iowa win and maybe history. Instead, the only people walking away happily were Cornhusker fans.
Nebraska outscored the Hawkeyes 27-10 in the final quarter. Halfway through the quarter, Clark took only three shots, with teammates taking over not only the scoring but facilitation. The Cornhusker defense held Clark to no points on six attempts, including two deep threes in the final minute that didn’t hit the basket and clanged off the rim.
After the final whistle, in East Lansing, Michigan, the result didn’t factor much into preparation for the Buckeyes.
“We were aware,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “But, you know, our big point of emphasis today was to, you know, we’ve been playing coming out at halftime and playing really well. But we haven’t been playing a great first half. So, we wanted to get closer to 40 minutes today. And that was our emphasis. And, you know, our kids did that.”
Ohio State ended the first quarter up seven points and, despite losing three starters to the bench due to early foul trouble, continued to run up the lead to 25 points entering halftime.
While that was happening, news was still being made in Nebraska. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder heard yelling at a Nebraska team employee about the order of media availability, disrupting the Cornhuskers’ press conference, causing a postgame stir.
Warning: There is some spirited language used in the video below:
Regardless of the drama off the court, on the court Ohio State now owns the top spot in the Big Ten with five games remaining. Win the last five games of the season and the regular season title goes completely to the Buckeyes. In those final games, one specific loss can still earn the scarlet and gray a share of the title.
On March 3, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes play in Iowa City, Iowa. Should both teams win out the remaining games of their schedules, an Iowa win against Ohio State gives both teams a share of the crown. That would end the season the same way as the 21/22 campaign, with an Ohio State/Iowa shared conference title.
A lot has to happen for Ohio State to win out, and the road isn’t easy. The Buckeyes do have three of their next four games at home, but they’re all against sides still in the hunt for the final double-bye going into the Big Ten Tournament.
It starts Wednesday against the giant killers themselves in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose win puts them in that fourth-place spot.
Behind them, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ three-game skid, including a loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, drops them into the seventh spot. The Nittany Lions also lost graduate senior guard Tay Valladay to an NCAA career-ending ACL injury in the process.
Joining the conversation are the Maryland Terrapins, who played the Hawkeyes well last week and, despite losing, responded with a two-game winning streak. Michigan State and the Michigan Wolverines sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively, despite the Spartans’ two-game losing streak to the Indiana Hoosiers and Buckeyes.
After Nebraska, and eight days off, Ohio State travels to Penn State, followed by home games against the Maryland Terrapins and Michigan Wolverines, before heading to Iowa City.
Should the Hawkeyes lose another game, and Ohio State wins its next four games, Coach McGuff’s side locks up the No. 1 Big Ten tournament seed and regular season title before even setting foot in Carver Arena on March 3.
Also, one of those Iowa games is Bloomington, Indiana’s Assembly Hall, against the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday’s Big Ten action surprises and clears up the race for the regular season crown
Ohio State women’s basketball fell on Dec. 30 to the Michigan Wolverines. Since then, the defeat and subsequent win over the Iowa Hawkeyes put the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes in a dead heat to a season finale in Iowa City to decide the Big Ten regular season title. Now, after a Sunday full of drama and intrigue in the Big Ten, the scarlet and gray can secure its 17th conference season trophy one day: Win out.
That’s easier said than done, but the Hawkeyes' loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and Buckeyes' win over the Michigan State Spartans, puts the scarlet and gray in the driver’s seat.
It all happened with the Hawkeyes sitting comfortably in the fourth quarter, up 14 points in Lincoln, Nebraska. Superstar guard Caitlin Clark sat eight points away from the NCAA scoring record at the start of the final quarter. It looked like the fans in attendance would see an Iowa win and maybe history. Instead, the only people walking away happily were Cornhusker fans.
Nebraska outscored the Hawkeyes 27-10 in the final quarter. Halfway through the quarter, Clark took only three shots, with teammates taking over not only the scoring but facilitation. The Cornhusker defense held Clark to no points on six attempts, including two deep threes in the final minute that didn’t hit the basket and clanged off the rim.
After the final whistle, in East Lansing, Michigan, the result didn’t factor much into preparation for the Buckeyes.
“We were aware,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “But, you know, our big point of emphasis today was to, you know, we’ve been playing coming out at halftime and playing really well. But we haven’t been playing a great first half. So, we wanted to get closer to 40 minutes today. And that was our emphasis. And, you know, our kids did that.”
Ohio State ended the first quarter up seven points and, despite losing three starters to the bench due to early foul trouble, continued to run up the lead to 25 points entering halftime.
While that was happening, news was still being made in Nebraska. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder heard yelling at a Nebraska team employee about the order of media availability, disrupting the Cornhuskers’ press conference, causing a postgame stir.
Warning: There is some spirited language used in the video below:
Regardless of the drama off the court, on the court Ohio State now owns the top spot in the Big Ten with five games remaining. Win the last five games of the season and the regular season title goes completely to the Buckeyes. In those final games, one specific loss can still earn the scarlet and gray a share of the title.
On March 3, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes play in Iowa City, Iowa. Should both teams win out the remaining games of their schedules, an Iowa win against Ohio State gives both teams a share of the crown. That would end the season the same way as the 21/22 campaign, with an Ohio State/Iowa shared conference title.
A lot has to happen for Ohio State to win out, and the road isn’t easy. The Buckeyes do have three of their next four games at home, but they’re all against sides still in the hunt for the final double-bye going into the Big Ten Tournament.
It starts Wednesday against the giant killers themselves in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose win puts them in that fourth-place spot.
Behind them, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ three-game skid, including a loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, drops them into the seventh spot. The Nittany Lions also lost graduate senior guard Tay Valladay to an NCAA career-ending ACL injury in the process.
Joining the conversation are the Maryland Terrapins, who played the Hawkeyes well last week and, despite losing, responded with a two-game winning streak. Michigan State and the Michigan Wolverines sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively, despite the Spartans’ two-game losing streak to the Indiana Hoosiers and Buckeyes.
After Nebraska, and eight days off, Ohio State travels to Penn State, followed by home games against the Maryland Terrapins and Michigan Wolverines, before heading to Iowa City.
Should the Hawkeyes lose another game, and Ohio State wins its next four games, Coach McGuff’s side locks up the No. 1 Big Ten tournament seed and regular season title before even setting foot in Carver Arena on March 3.
Also, one of those Iowa games is Bloomington, Indiana’s Assembly Hall, against the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers.
Continue reading...