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Game Preview: No. 7 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. No. 21 USC
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The future Big Ten school takes on a Big Ten staple to tipoff the 23-24 season for both teams
It’s finally here. After the Ohio State women’s basketball team lost to Virginia Tech in the Elite Eight 244 days ago, it's time for a return to competitive basketball. The No. 7 Buckeyes do it with a trip out to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Naismith Hall of Fame Series, facing the No. 21 USC Trojans at T-Mobile Arena.
On paper, it’s a game between an experienced scarlet and gray going up against a Trojans team losing three starters in the offseason. However, there’s a new name on the USC roster that’s likely to soften the overturn blow.
Expectations are higher than in recent years in Columbus, Ohio. Head coach Kevin McGuff has a Buckeyes team full of experienced upperclassmen, and a dynamic sophomore, fresh off a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The scarlet and gray return four of its five starters and seven of its eight most-played players from the 22-23 roster. This is great... until you isolate that one player who’s no longer on the roster: Guard Taylor Mikesell.
Mikesell’s graduation and move into professional basketball is a key storyline entering this season. The Jackson High School alum led the Buckeyes in scoring and minutes played in 22-23. Of those minutes, the guard hit 116 three-point shots at a clip of 41.4%, with the next closest being Rebeka Mikulášiková, a forward, hitting 41. Most of those are coming in the first half of the season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25059314/usa_today_20416321.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State needs to account for the points Mikesell took with her to the WNBA. Frankly, nobody on the Buckeyes will match her three-point shooting. Mikesell shot from deep at a record clip, even hitting 50% of long-range attempts halfway through the 21-22 season.
Looking at the current edition of the roster, the closest three-point shooters who can help fill the hole are the aforementioned Mikulášiková and the remaining four expected starters. Guards Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor, and guard/forward Taylor Thierry all can hit deep shots. Of Ohio State’s 22-23 starters, Thierry was the second most effective from beyond the arc, hitting them 38.7% of the time, but she only had 31 attempts, making 12.
When prompted about filling the space, graduate senior and Buckeye leader Sheldon was clear, “I need to take more threes.” In that 21-22 season where Ohio State made a living from deep, Sheldon shot 36.6% and hit 41 behind Mikesell’s team-leading stats.
With all that said though, maybe threes aren't the answer. The 23-24 Buckeyes can hurt teams in a number of ways offensively. The biggest is through the work of sophomore Cotie McMahon.
McMahon enters Monday’s season tipoff as a preseason First Team All-B1G, AP All-American honorable mention, and on the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year watch list. All of the accolades are warranted, although they aren’t changing how the forward’s tackling this season.
On the court, McMahon has all this attention because in the game she’ll be the pendulum swinging the Buckeyes’ offense forward. McMahon attacks the rim better than most in the country and in a short amount of time learned to find teammates when she attracts defensive attention. Of those teammates, one is making her Buckeyes debut in shooting guard Celeste Taylor.
Taylor comes in with a strong defensive background, securing a spot as one of three finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2022-23 season. The Long Island native will improve the Buckeyes' defense over Mikesell’s more offensive-minded play, especially in the half-court which is another focus of Ohio State this season.
How Taylor blends into the offense is a wild card. Taylor led the Duke Blue Devils in scoring on a heavy full-court defensive team that wasn’t known for scoring points. If Taylor scores close to Sheldon or Thierry’s numbers, it’ll propel the Buckeyes.
There is another team on the court Monday. The USC Trojans enter this campaign with high expectations of their own. Even though USC lost three starters to graduation, following a tough defeat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to South Dakota State, the Trojans have players that can, and will, hurt the Buckeyes. The most dangerous is forward Rayah Marshall.
Ohio State’s struggles against athletic and tall bigs is well documented. Last year, USF Bulls center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 34 points and 17 rebounds against the Buckeyes. A few weeks later Kendall Bostic of Illinois scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds. In the Elite Eight, Virginia Tech forward Elizabeth Kitley had 25 points and 12 rebounds. You get it. It’s not great.
Marshall is one of the two remaining starters from last year’s USC team and the forward is dynamic. The junior averaged a double-double with 12.7 points and 11.5 rebounds. In 31 games, Marshall had seven games where she grabbed at least 15 rebounds including 21 and 20 rebounds in back-to-back games in Pac-12 play.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25054706/usa_today_19798038.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: Stanford at Southern California")
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
This year, the Buckeyes did bring in paint reinforcement with Michigan State transfer Taiyier Parks. Although Coach McGuff already named Mikulášiková the starter, Parks is the next one coming in, especially if rebounding gets out of hand early. It’s not all on Marshall though, there’s one more likely starter for USC that Ohio State gets to see before anyone else in NCAA play: No. 1 ranked 2023 freshman guard Juju Watkins.
Watkins is a 6-foot-2 guard who will play similarly to McMahon. The question is how long will it take the guard to adjust to the level of NCAA play? Will USC head coach Lisa Gottlieb entrust the guard to take over the team from day one?
Fortunately for Ohio State, the defensive duo of Sheldon and Taylor is formidable. It’ll experience vs. hype in the guard positions.
The Trojans filled the experience gap left by leaving graduates with a chunk of smart Ivy League stars. Will all the new names, including Watkins, gel quickly enough to upset the No. 7 Buckeyes? It’s going to be close.
Marshall is going to be tough for Ohio State and will likely give the Trojans multiple leads in the game, but the experience and experience with each other of the Buckeyes will battle back. Coach McGuff’s side made a habit out of coming back in games last season and while a 17 or 24-point USC lead isn’t likely, it won’t be a rout for Ohio State by any means.
When USC does go up, they won’t have the offensive cohesiveness to take on the havoc press of McGuff.
Thierry is going to continue to surprise people and have a big start to her 23-24 campaign, receiving a lot of scoring opportunities from McMahon and Sheldon. Taylor is also going to hit at least two three-point shots, feeling and meeting the expectations placed on her filling Mikesell’s shooting guard spot.
Date: Monday, Nov. 5, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Television: TruTV
Stream: Max
Someone not mentioned in this preview was guard Madison Greene. The former starting Buckeye point guard has missed the bulk of the last two seasons due to season-ending knee injuries.
Greene is back with the team, even warming up with the squad before Monday’s open practice, but she wasn’t doing any drills that recreate game situations. The guard is still a bit of a way away from returning to the lineup.
A good thing for Greene is that her services won’t be needed right away anyway. The Buckeyes are deep at guard with not only the duo of Sheldon and Taylor but do-it-all redshirt senior Rikki Harris fits into any role Ohio State needs. Watch for Harris to come in as the Sixth Player for the scarlet and gray until Greene is healthy and conditioned enough to game minutes.
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
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The future Big Ten school takes on a Big Ten staple to tipoff the 23-24 season for both teams
It’s finally here. After the Ohio State women’s basketball team lost to Virginia Tech in the Elite Eight 244 days ago, it's time for a return to competitive basketball. The No. 7 Buckeyes do it with a trip out to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Naismith Hall of Fame Series, facing the No. 21 USC Trojans at T-Mobile Arena.
On paper, it’s a game between an experienced scarlet and gray going up against a Trojans team losing three starters in the offseason. However, there’s a new name on the USC roster that’s likely to soften the overturn blow.
Preview
Expectations are higher than in recent years in Columbus, Ohio. Head coach Kevin McGuff has a Buckeyes team full of experienced upperclassmen, and a dynamic sophomore, fresh off a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The scarlet and gray return four of its five starters and seven of its eight most-played players from the 22-23 roster. This is great... until you isolate that one player who’s no longer on the roster: Guard Taylor Mikesell.
Mikesell’s graduation and move into professional basketball is a key storyline entering this season. The Jackson High School alum led the Buckeyes in scoring and minutes played in 22-23. Of those minutes, the guard hit 116 three-point shots at a clip of 41.4%, with the next closest being Rebeka Mikulášiková, a forward, hitting 41. Most of those are coming in the first half of the season.
Ohio State needs to account for the points Mikesell took with her to the WNBA. Frankly, nobody on the Buckeyes will match her three-point shooting. Mikesell shot from deep at a record clip, even hitting 50% of long-range attempts halfway through the 21-22 season.
Looking at the current edition of the roster, the closest three-point shooters who can help fill the hole are the aforementioned Mikulášiková and the remaining four expected starters. Guards Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor, and guard/forward Taylor Thierry all can hit deep shots. Of Ohio State’s 22-23 starters, Thierry was the second most effective from beyond the arc, hitting them 38.7% of the time, but she only had 31 attempts, making 12.
When prompted about filling the space, graduate senior and Buckeye leader Sheldon was clear, “I need to take more threes.” In that 21-22 season where Ohio State made a living from deep, Sheldon shot 36.6% and hit 41 behind Mikesell’s team-leading stats.
With all that said though, maybe threes aren't the answer. The 23-24 Buckeyes can hurt teams in a number of ways offensively. The biggest is through the work of sophomore Cotie McMahon.
McMahon enters Monday’s season tipoff as a preseason First Team All-B1G, AP All-American honorable mention, and on the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year watch list. All of the accolades are warranted, although they aren’t changing how the forward’s tackling this season.
On the court, McMahon has all this attention because in the game she’ll be the pendulum swinging the Buckeyes’ offense forward. McMahon attacks the rim better than most in the country and in a short amount of time learned to find teammates when she attracts defensive attention. Of those teammates, one is making her Buckeyes debut in shooting guard Celeste Taylor.
Taylor comes in with a strong defensive background, securing a spot as one of three finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2022-23 season. The Long Island native will improve the Buckeyes' defense over Mikesell’s more offensive-minded play, especially in the half-court which is another focus of Ohio State this season.
How Taylor blends into the offense is a wild card. Taylor led the Duke Blue Devils in scoring on a heavy full-court defensive team that wasn’t known for scoring points. If Taylor scores close to Sheldon or Thierry’s numbers, it’ll propel the Buckeyes.
There is another team on the court Monday. The USC Trojans enter this campaign with high expectations of their own. Even though USC lost three starters to graduation, following a tough defeat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to South Dakota State, the Trojans have players that can, and will, hurt the Buckeyes. The most dangerous is forward Rayah Marshall.
Ohio State’s struggles against athletic and tall bigs is well documented. Last year, USF Bulls center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 34 points and 17 rebounds against the Buckeyes. A few weeks later Kendall Bostic of Illinois scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds. In the Elite Eight, Virginia Tech forward Elizabeth Kitley had 25 points and 12 rebounds. You get it. It’s not great.
Marshall is one of the two remaining starters from last year’s USC team and the forward is dynamic. The junior averaged a double-double with 12.7 points and 11.5 rebounds. In 31 games, Marshall had seven games where she grabbed at least 15 rebounds including 21 and 20 rebounds in back-to-back games in Pac-12 play.
This year, the Buckeyes did bring in paint reinforcement with Michigan State transfer Taiyier Parks. Although Coach McGuff already named Mikulášiková the starter, Parks is the next one coming in, especially if rebounding gets out of hand early. It’s not all on Marshall though, there’s one more likely starter for USC that Ohio State gets to see before anyone else in NCAA play: No. 1 ranked 2023 freshman guard Juju Watkins.
Watkins is a 6-foot-2 guard who will play similarly to McMahon. The question is how long will it take the guard to adjust to the level of NCAA play? Will USC head coach Lisa Gottlieb entrust the guard to take over the team from day one?
Fortunately for Ohio State, the defensive duo of Sheldon and Taylor is formidable. It’ll experience vs. hype in the guard positions.
Projected Lineups
Lineup Notes
- Forward Cotie McMahon is second on the Buckeyes’ roster in 20-point games with 14 after just one season. She’s behind Jacy Sheldon who has 26 in four seasons.
- Assists are usually indicative of how the game ends for Ohio State, in 58 games under McGuff where the Buckeyes have at least 20 assists, the scarlet and gray have lost only twice.
- Newcomer Celeste Taylor leads all Buckeyes in double-doubles with eight, usually coming from points and assists.
Lineup Notes
- Guard Kayla Padilla is one of multiple graduate transfers expected to make an impact for the Trojans this year. Padilla came from the Ivy League where the guard 17.8 points per game and is a three-time First Team All-Ivy League honoree.
- Forward Kaitlyn Davis is another graduate Ivy League transfer. Like Padilla, Davis is a multiple-time winner of a spot on the First Team All-Ivy League team, averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
- Guard Juju Watkins is a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year award winner.
Prediction
The Trojans filled the experience gap left by leaving graduates with a chunk of smart Ivy League stars. Will all the new names, including Watkins, gel quickly enough to upset the No. 7 Buckeyes? It’s going to be close.
Marshall is going to be tough for Ohio State and will likely give the Trojans multiple leads in the game, but the experience and experience with each other of the Buckeyes will battle back. Coach McGuff’s side made a habit out of coming back in games last season and while a 17 or 24-point USC lead isn’t likely, it won’t be a rout for Ohio State by any means.
When USC does go up, they won’t have the offensive cohesiveness to take on the havoc press of McGuff.
Thierry is going to continue to surprise people and have a big start to her 23-24 campaign, receiving a lot of scoring opportunities from McMahon and Sheldon. Taylor is also going to hit at least two three-point shots, feeling and meeting the expectations placed on her filling Mikesell’s shooting guard spot.
How to Watch
Date: Monday, Nov. 5, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Television: TruTV
Stream: Max
LGHL Prediction: 83-76 Ohio State Buckeyes
No Greene, Yet
Someone not mentioned in this preview was guard Madison Greene. The former starting Buckeye point guard has missed the bulk of the last two seasons due to season-ending knee injuries.
Greene is back with the team, even warming up with the squad before Monday’s open practice, but she wasn’t doing any drills that recreate game situations. The guard is still a bit of a way away from returning to the lineup.
A good thing for Greene is that her services won’t be needed right away anyway. The Buckeyes are deep at guard with not only the duo of Sheldon and Taylor but do-it-all redshirt senior Rikki Harris fits into any role Ohio State needs. Watch for Harris to come in as the Sixth Player for the scarlet and gray until Greene is healthy and conditioned enough to game minutes.
Continue reading...