ThomasCostello
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No rest for Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Iowa: It’s still personal
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
With a chance to take it easy going into the Big Ten Tournament, Buckeyes hope to pick up where they left off, traveling to Iowa City
On Jan. 21, when Ohio State women’s basketball defeated the then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus, forward Cotie McMahon talked about a moment of disrespect that sat with the team. It was the kind of disrespect that revived what used to be the marquee Iowa vs. Ohio State women’s basketball rivalry that predated other universities beginning to care about the sport.
Sunday’s matchup between the two top-10 teams looked like a main event caliber game that the Big Ten schedule makers saw as a means to crown a champion with the winner of a single game. Because for weeks, the two teams were neck-and-neck.
That 100-92 victory over the Hawkeyes was one in a series of 15-straight victories for the Buckeyes. During that span, the Hawkeyes fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Indiana Hoosiers. Those losses first made clinching a share of the title and then winning it outright all the more easy for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side.
Ohio State’s run is impressive enough to wipe away all of the competitive intrigue away from a game Sunday that, on paper, means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of the standings in Big Ten basketball.
Off paper, the game still includes guard Caitlin Clark, who might be playing her final regular season home game in Iowa City on Sunday — if she opts to forego her extra season of eligibility. That alone has ticket prices starting at $491 to simply get in the door, a record for the sport.
So, does beating Iowa in your house, taking away its chance at a regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament wipe the slate clean? Is a matchup with the Hawkeyes still personal?
“Of course,” said McMahon following Wednesday’s win over the Michigan Wolverines. “We’ll just leave it at that.”
There are things to be upset about as an Ohio State player. Not only the response from the Hawkeyes in 2023 that McMahon referenced, but there’s also the end of the Jan. 21 game.
As the Buckeyes celebrated their season-shifting success against superstar guard Caitlin Clark and Iowa, the attention the team earned was overshadowed by a post-game incident. Clark and a person on the sideline collided as the person ran towards the crowd on the court to document the moment. It’s a moment that reignited discussions on court storming that reached new levels in the last week when it impacted the Duke Blue Devils men’s team.
Go back even further and March of 2023 featured an overwhelmingly one-sided game against the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa didn’t beat Ohio State as much as it embarrassed it, defeating the Scarlet and Gray 105-72.
Without knowing the specifics, there are a vast amount of options out there. Not even diving into the idea of a target being on Clark’s back for her Player of the Year-level abilities or a constant barrage of talking to referees by Clark when things don’t go the Hawkeyes way.
Regardless of why this game continues to be circled in the minds of Ohio State, when the Buckeyes travel to Carver Arena on Sunday, it won’t be considered part of a victory parade.
Ohio State gets Thursday off practice and then it's back to work on Friday, before a likely travel day on Saturday. Overall, the preparation, according to head coach Kevin McGuff, is no different. The goal is prepare on Friday and Saturday to win on Sunday. For the players, it’s more than preparation as usual.
“It’s just a game we want to win,” said McMahon. “Especially at Iowa.”
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
With a chance to take it easy going into the Big Ten Tournament, Buckeyes hope to pick up where they left off, traveling to Iowa City
On Jan. 21, when Ohio State women’s basketball defeated the then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus, forward Cotie McMahon talked about a moment of disrespect that sat with the team. It was the kind of disrespect that revived what used to be the marquee Iowa vs. Ohio State women’s basketball rivalry that predated other universities beginning to care about the sport.
Sunday’s matchup between the two top-10 teams looked like a main event caliber game that the Big Ten schedule makers saw as a means to crown a champion with the winner of a single game. Because for weeks, the two teams were neck-and-neck.
That 100-92 victory over the Hawkeyes was one in a series of 15-straight victories for the Buckeyes. During that span, the Hawkeyes fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Indiana Hoosiers. Those losses first made clinching a share of the title and then winning it outright all the more easy for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side.
Ohio State’s run is impressive enough to wipe away all of the competitive intrigue away from a game Sunday that, on paper, means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of the standings in Big Ten basketball.
Off paper, the game still includes guard Caitlin Clark, who might be playing her final regular season home game in Iowa City on Sunday — if she opts to forego her extra season of eligibility. That alone has ticket prices starting at $491 to simply get in the door, a record for the sport.
So, does beating Iowa in your house, taking away its chance at a regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament wipe the slate clean? Is a matchup with the Hawkeyes still personal?
“Of course,” said McMahon following Wednesday’s win over the Michigan Wolverines. “We’ll just leave it at that.”
There are things to be upset about as an Ohio State player. Not only the response from the Hawkeyes in 2023 that McMahon referenced, but there’s also the end of the Jan. 21 game.
As the Buckeyes celebrated their season-shifting success against superstar guard Caitlin Clark and Iowa, the attention the team earned was overshadowed by a post-game incident. Clark and a person on the sideline collided as the person ran towards the crowd on the court to document the moment. It’s a moment that reignited discussions on court storming that reached new levels in the last week when it impacted the Duke Blue Devils men’s team.
Go back even further and March of 2023 featured an overwhelmingly one-sided game against the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa didn’t beat Ohio State as much as it embarrassed it, defeating the Scarlet and Gray 105-72.
Without knowing the specifics, there are a vast amount of options out there. Not even diving into the idea of a target being on Clark’s back for her Player of the Year-level abilities or a constant barrage of talking to referees by Clark when things don’t go the Hawkeyes way.
Regardless of why this game continues to be circled in the minds of Ohio State, when the Buckeyes travel to Carver Arena on Sunday, it won’t be considered part of a victory parade.
Ohio State gets Thursday off practice and then it's back to work on Friday, before a likely travel day on Saturday. Overall, the preparation, according to head coach Kevin McGuff, is no different. The goal is prepare on Friday and Saturday to win on Sunday. For the players, it’s more than preparation as usual.
“It’s just a game we want to win,” said McMahon. “Especially at Iowa.”
Continue reading...