Ohio
Ohio State women’s basketball vs Howard prediction: Our pick for 2026 NCAA bracket first round
Ohio State women’s basketball will begin its 2026 NCAA Tournament campaign at the Schottenstein Center against Howard on March 21, marking the fourth consecutive year the Buckeyes earned hosting rights for the opening two rounds.
Despite taking a dip to end the regular season, losing three of their final five games, the Buckeyes’ solid outing at the Big Ten Tournament secured them the No. 3 seed in the Fort Worth 1 region. Ohio State defeated Indiana and Minnesota before falling to the No. 2 team in the nation, UCLA, 72-62 in the semifinals.
The Buckeyes are entering the NCAA Tournament with their focus set on getting out of Columbus for the first time since 2023, as they’ve been eliminated in the second round the past two years.
Think you can beat our expert? Join USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge today!
Ready to win March Madness? Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool today!
But the first step to the Sweet 16 for Ohio State is its matchup against the No. 14 seed Bison, who punched their ticket to the tournament by winning the Mid-Eastern Conference championship.
Here are four predictions for this first-round matchup between Ohio State and Howard:
Ohio State will thrive capitalizing on turnovers
Ohio State finished top-20 nationally in opponent turnovers, forcing 21.4 per game, and recorded an average of 24.4 points off those turnovers. Howard recorded 15 turnovers per game throughout the season, which is a higher average than seven of the opponents the Buckeyes faced this conference play season.
If the Buckeyes can find defensive momentum and force turnovers via their press, the offense should be able to find easy baskets to build an advantage over the Bison.
Jaloni Cambridge needs to bounce back from outing vs UCLA
Ohio State point guard Jaloni Cambridge, who led the Big Ten in scoring with 23.4 points per game, had her worst shooting performance of the season in the semifinals against UCLA.
Going 4 for 14 from the field (28.6%), Cambridge finished with 12 points and missed five shots during the Buckeyes’ attempt to come back in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes will need Cambridge to get closer to her average of 49% shooting against Howard, especially with the Bison holding opponents to just 59.9 points per game.
Ohio State, Howard enter matchup evenly matched on the boards
While the Buckeyes’ game on the boards has struggled throughout the season, grabbing just 36.8 per game, Howard is just a slightly better rebounding team on paper, averaging 37.9.
However, Ohio State has seen an uptick in its rebounding game due to the performance of Elsa Lemmila. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 10 rebounds per game in the Big Ten Tournament, and helped the Buckeyes match UCLA on the boards, 34-34.
Lemmila should be able to put together another solid outing while going up against Howard’s 6-foot-2 forward Zennia Thomas, who leads the Bison in rebounds with eight per game.
Ohio State vs Howard prediction: March Madness first round
The Buckeyes are going into the NCAA Tournament with momentum, even with the loss to UCLA, as their 10-point loss margin was the smallest of any team that faced the Bruins in the conference tournament.
While Howard has just seven losses this season, one of those is to Purdue, 92-62. The Buckeyes easily handled Purdue 83-56 behind a combined 30 points from Cambridge and guard Chance Gray.
If Cambridge and Gray have their usual offensive performances, and Ohio State plays Howard closely on the boards, the Buckeyes should be able to advance to the second round for a fifth-straight year.
bmackay@dispatch.com
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler updates roster, summer plans: Part 2
Ohio State men’s hoops coach Jake Diebler discusses the 2026-27 roster, transfer portal additions and more in the first part of this June 1 interview.
Westerville North’s Tony Cornett III has steadily built up a strong list of college offers. Since the start of May, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard has added ones from Akron, Bowling Green and Toledo as summer camp season has gotten underway.
Now with offers from 10 schools, including one from every Mid-American Conference school in Ohio, Cornett said the mission isn’t complete because it’s never complete.
“I feel like it’s more fuel for me,” he said of the recent offers from the Zips, Falcons and Rockets. “None of the offers I’ve gotten, I’m satisfied with. It won’t be a single offer that will make me fully satisfied because it’s like, why would I be satisfied with that offer? The job’s never finished.”
It’s an attitude that has helped Cornett and the Warriors reach the Ohio Division II title game in each of the past two years, winning the championship in 2025 and falling in overtime in 2026. In this year’s five-point loss to Massillon Washington, Cornett had 15 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four turnovers in 35 minutes.
On June 5, he was on the main court inside the Jerome Schottenstein Center as Westerville North participated in Ohio State’s team camp for the second consecutive day. The Warriors opened the day with a blowout win against Massillon Jackson with multiple members of the Ohio State coaching staff keeping an eye on the game.
The Buckeyes have not offered, but they continue to show interest.
“They definitely fit high on my radar for me, personally,” he said. “I’m pretty sure they like how I play. I hope so. We talk every now and then. I’m supposed to come for a visit this month.”
Toledo and Akron are also scheduled to host Cornett on visits in June, he said. While he played in his first of three games June 5, Cornett was watched by Ohio State assistants Dave Dickerson, Mike Wells, Jamall Walker and Brian Walsh, recruiting coordinator Terence Dials and program assistant William Buford.
They saw several highlight plays, including one on which Cornett blocked a shot, gathered the ball, pushed it up the floor to an open teammate, sprinted toward the basket and took a lob thrown back to him for a dunk.
“A play like that, that’s multiple winning plays, all-in-one plays,” he said. “It made it even better that the lob came from my brother (Tyson), so that was special. He’s got to throw that one up.”
Cornett said he looks at rosters when he thinks about where he might play collegiately.
“What program could I fit in the most?” he said. “What program recruits players that are more like me and have my game style, like tall, versatile, strong, bigger guards? Also, looking at a program that develops players, too. The development is the big thing for me. If they can develop someone who plays like me, that’s something I definitely look for.”
247Sports.com ranks Cornett as a three-star prospect. He’s the No. 112 national prospect, the No. 19 shooting guard and No. 7 player in Ohio, and this season Cornett said he has to be ready to step into more of a leadership role on a team he said features only two returners with varsity experience.
Cornett said he’s working to improve his jumper and get stronger.
“I have to keep improving and getting stronger and bigger,” he said. “I’m working on my shot. Always working on my shot. That’s my No. 1 priority right now, because I have to be able to hit the open shot. Also, getting downhill, using my body, elevating over smaller defenders.”
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
WARREN TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — Nearly 1,400 people in Warren were without power Sunday evening after a vehicle crashed into a utility pole.
People in the affected area were without power for about three hours until it was restored around 11:30 p.m.
Police told our crew on scene that a Toyota had driven into a utility pole on Mahoning Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Officers said two people left the vehicle and left the scene on foot.
Impact from the crash caused power lines to spark about 100 yards away, just within the City of Warren. The sparking powerlines lit surrounding bushes on fire, and crews worked to quickly put out the flames.
Part of Mahoning Avenue is closed off at this time.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Dominic O’Brien contributed to this report.
NEW RICHMOND, Ohio (WXIX) – Rescue crews have located a body in their search of the Ohio River for a kayaker who vanished in the water Thursday afternoon, according to the New Richmond Fire and EMS.
Around 12 p.m. Sunday, New Richmond Fire and EMS says they located a body during the search.
Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for iPhone
Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for Android
The discovery comes after a 28-year-old man went missing in the Ohio River when a boat flipped around 4 p.m., just off U.S. Route 52 in New Richmond, according to the fire department.
The body was found near Mile Marker 449.1 in the area of the 800 block of Washington Street.
Officials say the scene was immediately turned over to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 WXIX. All rights reserved.
-
Politics5 minutes agoMassachusetts lawmakers pass bill to scrap ‘offensive language’ from state’s General Laws
-
Health12 minutes agoWhy do some people get sepsis while others don’t? Scientists point to the gut
-
Sports15 minutes agoVictor Wembanyama puts hand on Jalen Brunson’s head, pushes him down as refs look the other way in Game 3
-
Technology20 minutes agoRobot pets with AI could soon live with you
-
Business27 minutes agoMusicians shortchanged by AI deals with labels, lawsuit alleges
-
Entertainment30 minutes agoOf course, Supergirl can have pierced ears. James Gunn explains it again for those who forgot ‘Superman’
-
Lifestyle35 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: I’m a black woman. He’s a white guy with a pickup truck. Here’s what happened
-
Politics42 minutes agoDisability rights advocates protest Newsom’s proposed cuts to in-home support services
