Ohio
3 things to watch as Iowa women’s basketball faces Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament
Hear from Taylor McCabe after Iowa women’s basketball beats Michigan State at Big Ten Tournament
Hear from Taylor McCabe after Iowa women’s basketball beats Michigan State at Big Ten Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS — Two days into the Big Ten Tournament, and Iowa women’s basketball couldn’t have scripted a more productive postseason entrance. Now comes another late-night challenge more daunting than the last.
The No. 11 seed Hawkeyes march into Friday’s quarterfinal against No. 3 seed Ohio State (8 p.m., BTN) as a confident bunch after tackling No. 6 seed Michigan State on Thursday and No. 14 seed Wisconsin on Wednesday. Iowa has 80 Big Ten Tournament minutes under its belt before the Buckeyes have a single one. Can the Hawkeyes execute well enough to make that matter?
Here are three things to watch ahead of another Iowa-Ohio State collision.
How do the Hawkeyes swing Ohio State’s rest/rust debate in their favor?
It’s a bit absurd to think about — that 10 of the 15 Big Ten Tournament teams will be eliminated before Ohio State takes the floor for the first time. The late-night double bye makes for a lengthy wait.
Contrast that with Iowa’s current situation — two games played, two significant showings — and it’s fair to wonder if that massive difference will make a difference Friday night.
“I feel like you can look at it either way,” junior Taylor McCabe said. “Me personally, I kind of like that we’ve been here for a few days just getting adjusted to the arena. It is a little different. For the past two years, we were playing in Minneapolis (for the Big Ten Tournament). Most of us have never even been here. So I do like that we have been here for a few days.
“We’ll have another shootaround (Friday) morning. I mean, they are fresh. So there’s an advantage to that. They only really had to scout two teams, where we’ve had to scout a couple. I do think it helps that we played them pretty recently as well. We’ll be ready to go.”
Hear from Hannah Stuelke after Iowa women’s basketball topples Michigan State in Big Ten Tournament
Hear from Hannah Stuelke after Iowa women’s basketball topples Michigan State in Big Ten Tournament
Speaking of that first matchup, how can it productively fuel Iowa’s second crack at Ohio State?
“Revenge Tour” made its way into the postgame dialogue for the first time this week, as the Hawkeyes look to get back several foes that snuck by them in the regular season. Ohio State sits right at the top of the list.
Crossing off the Buckeyes will require a cleaner effort that what was largely seen in Iowa’s 86-78 overtime loss in Columbus on Feb. 17. Yes, the Hawkeyes’ incredible regulation rally to erase a 12-point deficit in the final 90 seconds offered a valuable lesson on belief. But Iowa unsuccessfully played catch-up after a sluggish start stuck the Hawkeyes in an early double-digit hole.
A better opening than that day is likely needed Friday.
“We have to handle their press,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said. “We have to handle their speed. (Big Ten freshman of the year) Jaloni (Cambridge) got downhill on us real fast, real often there — and I don’t know if anybody’s been able to really slow her down. So we’re going to have to try to figure out how to minimize that. We’re going to have to score a little bit more efficiently than we did (Thursday).”
Iowa’s Kylie Feuerbach on Jan Jensen’s first T, beating Michigan State
The Hawkeye senior scored six big fourth-quarter points to help Iowa pull away from the Spartans, 74-61.
After ample freshman contributions to start the Big Ten Tournament, who’s next for Iowa to steal an unlikely spotlight?
Reliability is essential in March, but so is versatility. And Iowa has shown in Indianapolis that its depth is a weapon beyond just saving legs.
Freshman contributions — divvied up Wednesday, lots of Ava Heiden Thursday — dominated the Iowa dialogue after two days. Similar efforts from those not always in the spotlight create the Hawkeyes’ best chance for an even lengthier run.
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Ohio State prediction
Another tight affair late against Ohio State that calls for flawless execution. The Buckeyes, full of urgency with a win likely clinching an NCAA Tournament hosting spot, knock off Iowa in dramatic fashion. Ohio State 75, Hawkeyes 71
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
Ohio
No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.
Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.
Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.
Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.
Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next
Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.
Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.
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Ohio
Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.
The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:
- Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
- Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
- Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
- Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.
The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.
In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
Ohio
Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players
The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.
Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.
An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot
Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.
“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale
Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.
Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.
The defense takes over
All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.
“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.
Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.
“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale
The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.
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