B1G Tournament semifinal preview: Ohio State women vs. Indiana

It’s been some time for the reason that Ohio State girls’s basketball staff has defeated the Indiana Hoosiers. Jan. 28, 2021 was the final victory, in a daily season that ended with no NCAA postseason basketball as a consequence of self-imposed sanctions for the Buckeyes. Since then, Ohio State has 4 straight defeats.

Saturday, Ohio State has a possibility to finish that streak within the semifinals of the Large Ten Match.

Preview

On Friday, the highest 4 seeds of the Large Ten Match entered the competitors. In three of the 4 video games, the brand new groups had early struggles. Indiana was down 12 factors to the Michigan State Spartans, the Purdue Boilermakers stayed within the recreation with the Iowa Hawkeyes till halftime and the Illinois Combating Illini went backwards and forwards with the Maryland Terrapins within the first quarter.

Of the 4, it was the Buckeyes who got here out the strongest, not wanting like there have been any issues with getting again into competitors. Taking part in the strongest seed outdoors of the top-four, the Michigan Wolverines who held the No. 5 seed within the match, Ohio State went down one level late however got here again to get the win.

Now, on Saturday, the Scarlet & Grey want to lift their recreation to face an Indiana staff who’s had their quantity.

The second half of the Hoosiers’ recreation was a 60-45 Indiana rout. Main the way in which was guard Chloe Moore-McNeil who scored 19 factors with 11 assists and 5 rebounds. Not recognized for constantly excessive scoring video games, Moore-McNeil pushed the Hoosiers and constantly discovered guard Sara Scalia and ahead Mackenzie Holmes who scored 20 and 27 factors, respectively.

It was wanted too. Level guard and soon-to-be former Hoosier Grace Berger had a quieter eight-point night time, which is under no circumstances a assure to repeat Saturday. The identical with Moore-McNeil, who may have a selected job on protection within the semifinal: Cease Ohio State guard Taylor Mikesell.

In two earlier video games this season, Mikesell has 15 factors in every Ohio State defeat, beneath her 17.3 level common. By way of each video games, Moore-McNeil was in Mikesell’s face solely. That meant restricted probabilities from past the arc.

Saturday might be totally different although with guard Jacy Sheldon returning Friday in opposition to the Wolverines. Sheldon would possibly even begin with guard Rikki Harris taking a tough fall late within the recreation, and going again to the locker room.

“We play a bit sooner together with her within the recreation,” mentioned head coach Kevin McGuff. “Simply the general tempo is healthier.”

On Jan. 26, when Ohio State went to Indiana’s Meeting Corridor, the Scarlet & Grey entered halftime with the lead however adopted it with the second worst offensive quarter of the season, being outscored by Indiana 27-6. Sheldon’s addition, plus the added motivation of it being within the match and in opposition to a staff by which the Buckeyes have struggled in opposition to, may carry a extra constant Ohio State to the sport.

“Clearly they beat us two instances in a row. So I really feel like us — for us, it’s sort of private,” mentioned ahead Cotie McMahon. “So, I really feel like simply popping out tomorrow, we’re going to should concentrate on the little issues, guarding the ball method higher than we did tonight, sort of simply issues like that.”

Projected Starters

Lineup Notes

• Coach McGuff didn’t appear too involved about Harris’ late fall or overly assured that Sheldon is prepared for a full begin, so Harris beginning wouldn’t be a shock.
• McMahon’s 28 factors, 12 rebounds, double-double is her second this season, following one in opposition to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Feb. 16.
• Thierry’s 20-point recreation is her sixth this season hitting not less than 20 factors.

Lineup Notes

• Holmes and guard Yarden Garzon every fouled out of the sport in opposition to the Spartans in Saturday’s first Large Ten quarterfinal.
• Moore-McNeil’s double-double was her first of the season.
• Indiana hit 12-of-22 from past the arc on Saturday and held Michigan State to 3-for-12 within the second half from deep.

Prediction

The Buckeyes might want to pull extra out of their bag to beat the Hoosiers. If the Scarlet & Grey play in opposition to them like they did Feb. 24 in opposition to the Maryland Terrapins, it’ll be a detailed recreation.

Saturday, Ohio State will play a extra full recreation than the earlier two outings. McMahon will assault the basket like traditional, however they’ll get extra manufacturing from guards within the recreation like Mikesell, Sheldon and Harris.

Mikesell will attain 20 factors within the recreation, with McMahon and Sheldon creating more room. Defensively, the Buckeyes received’t be capable of cease Indiana’s star ahead Holmes, so Ohio State will play stronger across the perimeter. Holmes can’t obtain double protection when the by-product is Garzon, Berger and substitute Sara Scalia open from past the arc.

Easy methods to Watch

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
The place: Goal Heart, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tv: BTN
Stream: Fox Sports activities app with a BTN subscription

LGHL Rating Prediction: 86-80 Ohio State Buckeyes

Reaching a Closing

If the Buckeyes choose up the victory in opposition to Indiana, they’ll face both the Iowa Hawkeyes or the Maryland Terrapins in Sunday night’s match closing.

This season, the highest 4 seeds every reached the semifinal, which is suitable contemplating how all 4 groups carried out within the common season. A win on Saturday places the Buckeyes again into the Large Ten Match closing for the primary time since 2020.

In that final closing, the Scarlet & Grey fell to the Maryland Terrapins. That defeat was the third straight time the Buckeyes made the ultimate and needed to face the Terrapins. The final time Ohio State hasn’t confronted a Maryland staff within the closing was 2011 in opposition to the Penn State Nittany Lions.