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Ohio State women’s basketball ranked No. 14 in preseason AP poll
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 Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Buckeyes start the season ranked for the fifth season in a row.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
The 2024-25 college basketball season is inching closer, with the Associated Press adding the next step at the start of the campaign by releasing the preseason top 25. Ohio State women’s basketball enters the season ranked No. 14.
It’s the fifth season in a row and eighth in the 12 years under head coach Kevin McGuff where the AP included the Buckeyes. Last season, Ohio State entered the year at No. 7, eventually sitting at No. 2 for the second season in a row.
After losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet and Gray were No. 16 in the final AP poll of the season.
Ohio State is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 25. Newcomers from Los Angeles, California both sit in the top five. The USC Trojans are at No. 3 with the UCLA Bruins two spots behind at No. 5.
Then it’s a long way before the Buckeyes join at No. 14. Behind Ohio State are the Maryland Terrapins at No. 18, Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 23, and Indiana Hoosiers at No. 25. Sitting just outside of the top 25, with 37 votes, are the Iowa Hawkeyes who no longer have superstar guard Caitlin Clark, with the media not having as much confidence in the guard Lucy Olsen and forward Hannah Stuelke partnership.
Michigan State and Illinois also received votes in the initial poll.
The Big Ten placement mostly aligns with how the media and coaches voted in the conference preseason poll. Nebraska is the lone exception. The conference voters put the Hoosiers above the Cornhuskers in the preseason top five, but AP voters have more confidence in forward Alexis Markowski’s side.
Coach McGuff’s side ranked at No. 14 isn’t too much of a surprise. There are a multitude of roster changes that support the ranking. Departures of graduate senior starters like Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor, and Rebeka Mikulášiková are going to be a hurdle to get over.
Ohio State will have three new starters with No. 2 overall 2024 guard Jaloni Cambridge, Oregon guard transfer Chance Gray, and Kentucky forward transfer Ajae Petty likely in their places.
AP’s top 25 doesn’t do much for the Buckeyes light non-conference schedule. The only Power Four school on the calendar this year was the Stanford Cardinals and voters didn’t put Stanford in the top 25. That could change by the time the two sides play on Dec. 20, but right now, the first ranked opponent for Ohio State won’t come until the Buckeyes welcome the Terrapins on Jan. 23, 2025.
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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
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Buckeyes start the season ranked for the fifth season in a row.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
The 2024-25 college basketball season is inching closer, with the Associated Press adding the next step at the start of the campaign by releasing the preseason top 25. Ohio State women’s basketball enters the season ranked No. 14.
It’s the fifth season in a row and eighth in the 12 years under head coach Kevin McGuff where the AP included the Buckeyes. Last season, Ohio State entered the year at No. 7, eventually sitting at No. 2 for the second season in a row.
After losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet and Gray were No. 16 in the final AP poll of the season.
Ohio State is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 25. Newcomers from Los Angeles, California both sit in the top five. The USC Trojans are at No. 3 with the UCLA Bruins two spots behind at No. 5.
Then it’s a long way before the Buckeyes join at No. 14. Behind Ohio State are the Maryland Terrapins at No. 18, Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 23, and Indiana Hoosiers at No. 25. Sitting just outside of the top 25, with 37 votes, are the Iowa Hawkeyes who no longer have superstar guard Caitlin Clark, with the media not having as much confidence in the guard Lucy Olsen and forward Hannah Stuelke partnership.
Michigan State and Illinois also received votes in the initial poll.
The Big Ten placement mostly aligns with how the media and coaches voted in the conference preseason poll. Nebraska is the lone exception. The conference voters put the Hoosiers above the Cornhuskers in the preseason top five, but AP voters have more confidence in forward Alexis Markowski’s side.
Coach McGuff’s side ranked at No. 14 isn’t too much of a surprise. There are a multitude of roster changes that support the ranking. Departures of graduate senior starters like Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor, and Rebeka Mikulášiková are going to be a hurdle to get over.
Ohio State will have three new starters with No. 2 overall 2024 guard Jaloni Cambridge, Oregon guard transfer Chance Gray, and Kentucky forward transfer Ajae Petty likely in their places.
AP’s top 25 doesn’t do much for the Buckeyes light non-conference schedule. The only Power Four school on the calendar this year was the Stanford Cardinals and voters didn’t put Stanford in the top 25. That could change by the time the two sides play on Dec. 20, but right now, the first ranked opponent for Ohio State won’t come until the Buckeyes welcome the Terrapins on Jan. 23, 2025.
Continue reading...