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NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Tennessee
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Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes and Volunteers meet for the third straight season, but the Vols could not be more different of a side
The NCAA Tournament continues in Columbus on Sunday night as No. 4 Ohio State women’s basketball welcomes No. 5 Tennessee. It renews a series between two powerhouse NCAA athletic departments, with the Volunteers having the edge in the world of women’s basketball.
While the Buckeyes defeated the Vols in two straight regular seasons, Tennessee enters the matchup with a more than convicting win in the First Round and a relentless style of play that has already pushed the best teams in the country to their breaking points.
Can Ohio State break through? Can Tennessee withstand their play while facing the Buckeyes’ full court press? Does the Scarlet and Gray have enough depth to compete for 40 minutes?
Sunday afternoon, Ohio State women’s hockey faces Wisconsin for the National Championship. Four hours later, the Buckeyes face a Tennessee side that has similarities to a hockey team.
First year Vols head coach Kim Caldwell pushes her teams through each level of college basketball before landing in Knoxville in the offseason. So much so that Tennessee does not make a substitution here or there, they swap out entire lineups.
“You have to have 10 or 11 players that you trust,” said Caldwell. “That’s a big step for a coach is to have everyone accept their roles and lean into their roles and trust them and put them on the floor every night.”
So, a starting lineup is important for most teams, but not as much for the Vols because the players on the bench know they will be in the game within a couple of minutes. Tennessee plays a full court style of pressure defense for 40 minutes, usually with players taking one-on-one assignments.
Against the USF Bulls, Tennessee knew the AAC side had one consistently good ball handler on offense, so the Vols focused in on them directly. Defensively, Rocky Top attacks teams until they wear them down. That only motivates Tennessee players to add more pressure.
That happened quickly on Friday night against USF and in the second quarter the Vols held the Bulls to only nine points while Caldwell’s side racked up 29 points. It put the game away for good with half of the game remaining, but Tennessee did not let up.
“Even when we had a big lead, something we have done all year is just kind of stopped guarding just because we saw a 20-point win,” said Caldwell. “And we continue to sit down and guard to the final minute, and that was a really big improvement for us.”
Tennessee had the normal adjustment period at the start of the season with a new coach and system to implement, but hit their stride at the beginning of the 2025 calendar. After a string of close defeats to ranked teams, the Vols defeated the UConn Huskies on Feb. 6 and it gave the team a boost.
Then, in the final week of the season and into the SEC Tournament, things started to slip. It began with the Kentucky Wildcats and point guard Georgia Amoore. After head coach Kenny Brooks faced Caldwell and her previous team in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats knew the system well and handled it effectively in an 82-58 rout of the Vols. Tennessee then lost at home to the Georgia Bulldogs, a side that went 12-18 this season.
In the SEC Tournament, Tennessee got back to their winning ways in the first game but then fell the next day to Vanderbilt. Despite 10 players averaging at least 14 minutes per game, the long season wore the Vols down.
So, when the team had two weeks off heading into the tournament, it showed in the 101-66 dismantling of the AAC Tournament champion Bulls.
Offensively, Tennessee is just as much of a buzzsaw as they are on defense. Caldwell’s side is known for taking shots early in the shot clock, with many coming from beyond the arc, 31.1 attempts from deep per game to be exact. That’s the third highest in the country a year after Caldwell broke the NCAA record with Marshall in the 23-24 season.
“We have to get back in transition and guard them and try to challenge them at the three-point line,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “They made, what was it, 16 yesterday? That will be a huge part of the game.”
Heading into the matchup, the Volunteers are saying similar things to other teams who play press style defenses. Mainly that they will be ready because they practice against a press every day. Ohio State’s press is unique in that it is disciplined and features players who have history in the set.
While it is a 2-2-1 setup, the way McGuff’s sides are relentless in their pursuit of the ball is different than a normal press. Ohio State will throw multiple people at the Volunteers to see what they can do to disrupt the offense and force turnovers.
This season, the Vols have not given up more than 20 turnovers in a game, while Ohio State has 15 games out of 32 where the Buckeyes forced more than 20.
Where it will be more difficult for Ohio State is the size of the Volunteers. Of the 10 players who get most of the minutes for Caldwell, seven of them stand at least six feet tall, while the Buckeyes have five, total on their active roster, and one of which might not play due to injury.
Freshman center Elsa Lemmilä practiced on Saturday, but it’s still unsure if she will get any minutes after sitting out against the Montana State Bobcats on Friday. Lemmilä has a left foot injury that started to hurt the 6-foo-6 big in January.
In her place on Friday was graduate senior Eboni Walker, who does not bring the same size as Lemmilä or starting forward Ajae Petty, but has the kind of fight needed to pick up rebounds consistently. Walker had four offensive rebounds against Montana State and two assists. Ohio State will need play like Walker’s against a Tennessee team that will not let up on the boards.
Despite playing a large group of players consistently (no one averages more than 25 minutes per game this season), the standout on the roster is Talaysia Cooper. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds. 3.2 assists and a conference high 3.0 steals per game.
There is not a guard that is a like-for-like defensive option for Cooper. Standing at six feet tall, it’s a likely matchup with Ohio State guard Taylor Thierry, who is a semifinalist for National Defensive Player of the Year. Do not be surprised if McGuff has Thierry on the court anytime Cooper’s line gets put in the game by Caldwell.
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
G- Samara Spencer
G- Jewel Spear
G- Talaysia Cooper
G- Ruby Whitehorn
F- Lazaria Spearman
Ohio State will be aggressive off the jump and give the Volunteers a much different challenge than the USF Bulls did, a side that does not play the same pressure style of defense.
How the game goes for the Buckeyes will be based on how the defense is keeping the Volunteers from making easy baskets. If the Vols pass easily out of the press and find open looks, it could be a long night for McGuff’s side.
Cotie McMahon will get to the line often as she goes to the basket for Ohio State frequently. The size and defensive pressure of the Vols will put Tennessee in foul trouble, but the game will be close until the end. It could go either way but how the visitors shoot three-point shots will make the night difficult for the Buckeyes.
Date: Sunday, March 24, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: ESPN
Stream: ESPN App
Ohio State and Tennessee have three previous games in the NCAA Tournament, with all three going the way of the Volunteers. Legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt led the Vols in the first two wins in 1996 and 2011. In 1996, Summitt ended up winning the National Championship after defeating former assistant coach Nancy Darsch and the Buckeyes in the second round.
In 2011 and 2016, Ohio State and Tennessee met in the Sweet Sixteen, with the second coming under Summitt’s predecessor Holly Warlick.
All three defeats for the Scarlet and Gray were by double-digits.
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
Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes and Volunteers meet for the third straight season, but the Vols could not be more different of a side
The NCAA Tournament continues in Columbus on Sunday night as No. 4 Ohio State women’s basketball welcomes No. 5 Tennessee. It renews a series between two powerhouse NCAA athletic departments, with the Volunteers having the edge in the world of women’s basketball.
While the Buckeyes defeated the Vols in two straight regular seasons, Tennessee enters the matchup with a more than convicting win in the First Round and a relentless style of play that has already pushed the best teams in the country to their breaking points.
Can Ohio State break through? Can Tennessee withstand their play while facing the Buckeyes’ full court press? Does the Scarlet and Gray have enough depth to compete for 40 minutes?
Preview
Sunday afternoon, Ohio State women’s hockey faces Wisconsin for the National Championship. Four hours later, the Buckeyes face a Tennessee side that has similarities to a hockey team.
First year Vols head coach Kim Caldwell pushes her teams through each level of college basketball before landing in Knoxville in the offseason. So much so that Tennessee does not make a substitution here or there, they swap out entire lineups.
“You have to have 10 or 11 players that you trust,” said Caldwell. “That’s a big step for a coach is to have everyone accept their roles and lean into their roles and trust them and put them on the floor every night.”
So, a starting lineup is important for most teams, but not as much for the Vols because the players on the bench know they will be in the game within a couple of minutes. Tennessee plays a full court style of pressure defense for 40 minutes, usually with players taking one-on-one assignments.
Against the USF Bulls, Tennessee knew the AAC side had one consistently good ball handler on offense, so the Vols focused in on them directly. Defensively, Rocky Top attacks teams until they wear them down. That only motivates Tennessee players to add more pressure.
That happened quickly on Friday night against USF and in the second quarter the Vols held the Bulls to only nine points while Caldwell’s side racked up 29 points. It put the game away for good with half of the game remaining, but Tennessee did not let up.
“Even when we had a big lead, something we have done all year is just kind of stopped guarding just because we saw a 20-point win,” said Caldwell. “And we continue to sit down and guard to the final minute, and that was a really big improvement for us.”
Tennessee had the normal adjustment period at the start of the season with a new coach and system to implement, but hit their stride at the beginning of the 2025 calendar. After a string of close defeats to ranked teams, the Vols defeated the UConn Huskies on Feb. 6 and it gave the team a boost.
Then, in the final week of the season and into the SEC Tournament, things started to slip. It began with the Kentucky Wildcats and point guard Georgia Amoore. After head coach Kenny Brooks faced Caldwell and her previous team in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats knew the system well and handled it effectively in an 82-58 rout of the Vols. Tennessee then lost at home to the Georgia Bulldogs, a side that went 12-18 this season.
In the SEC Tournament, Tennessee got back to their winning ways in the first game but then fell the next day to Vanderbilt. Despite 10 players averaging at least 14 minutes per game, the long season wore the Vols down.
So, when the team had two weeks off heading into the tournament, it showed in the 101-66 dismantling of the AAC Tournament champion Bulls.
Offensively, Tennessee is just as much of a buzzsaw as they are on defense. Caldwell’s side is known for taking shots early in the shot clock, with many coming from beyond the arc, 31.1 attempts from deep per game to be exact. That’s the third highest in the country a year after Caldwell broke the NCAA record with Marshall in the 23-24 season.
“We have to get back in transition and guard them and try to challenge them at the three-point line,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “They made, what was it, 16 yesterday? That will be a huge part of the game.”
Heading into the matchup, the Volunteers are saying similar things to other teams who play press style defenses. Mainly that they will be ready because they practice against a press every day. Ohio State’s press is unique in that it is disciplined and features players who have history in the set.
While it is a 2-2-1 setup, the way McGuff’s sides are relentless in their pursuit of the ball is different than a normal press. Ohio State will throw multiple people at the Volunteers to see what they can do to disrupt the offense and force turnovers.
This season, the Vols have not given up more than 20 turnovers in a game, while Ohio State has 15 games out of 32 where the Buckeyes forced more than 20.
Where it will be more difficult for Ohio State is the size of the Volunteers. Of the 10 players who get most of the minutes for Caldwell, seven of them stand at least six feet tall, while the Buckeyes have five, total on their active roster, and one of which might not play due to injury.
Freshman center Elsa Lemmilä practiced on Saturday, but it’s still unsure if she will get any minutes after sitting out against the Montana State Bobcats on Friday. Lemmilä has a left foot injury that started to hurt the 6-foo-6 big in January.
In her place on Friday was graduate senior Eboni Walker, who does not bring the same size as Lemmilä or starting forward Ajae Petty, but has the kind of fight needed to pick up rebounds consistently. Walker had four offensive rebounds against Montana State and two assists. Ohio State will need play like Walker’s against a Tennessee team that will not let up on the boards.
Despite playing a large group of players consistently (no one averages more than 25 minutes per game this season), the standout on the roster is Talaysia Cooper. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds. 3.2 assists and a conference high 3.0 steals per game.
There is not a guard that is a like-for-like defensive option for Cooper. Standing at six feet tall, it’s a likely matchup with Ohio State guard Taylor Thierry, who is a semifinalist for National Defensive Player of the Year. Do not be surprised if McGuff has Thierry on the court anytime Cooper’s line gets put in the game by Caldwell.
Projected Lineups
Ohio State
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Tennessee
G- Samara Spencer
G- Jewel Spear
G- Talaysia Cooper
G- Ruby Whitehorn
F- Lazaria Spearman
Prediction
Ohio State will be aggressive off the jump and give the Volunteers a much different challenge than the USF Bulls did, a side that does not play the same pressure style of defense.
How the game goes for the Buckeyes will be based on how the defense is keeping the Volunteers from making easy baskets. If the Vols pass easily out of the press and find open looks, it could be a long night for McGuff’s side.
Cotie McMahon will get to the line often as she goes to the basket for Ohio State frequently. The size and defensive pressure of the Vols will put Tennessee in foul trouble, but the game will be close until the end. It could go either way but how the visitors shoot three-point shots will make the night difficult for the Buckeyes.
LGHL Score Prediction: 79-76, Tennessee Volunteers
How to Watch
Date: Sunday, March 24, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: ESPN
Stream: ESPN App
Tournament History
Ohio State and Tennessee have three previous games in the NCAA Tournament, with all three going the way of the Volunteers. Legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt led the Vols in the first two wins in 1996 and 2011. In 1996, Summitt ended up winning the National Championship after defeating former assistant coach Nancy Darsch and the Buckeyes in the second round.
In 2011 and 2016, Ohio State and Tennessee met in the Sweet Sixteen, with the second coming under Summitt’s predecessor Holly Warlick.
All three defeats for the Scarlet and Gray were by double-digits.
Continue reading...