Ohio State women's basketball has been a force to be reckoned with this season, leading the team to continue climbing the rankings week to week.
On Monday, the Buckeyes checked in at No. 3 in the AP Poll – 11 spots above where head coach Kevin McGuff's squad began the year as the No. 14-ranked team in America. Ohio State falls behind defending national champion South Carolina and 2022 Final Four participant Stanford in the poll, while Indiana and Notre Dame round out the top-five spots.
| RANK | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina (29) |
| 2 | Stanford |
| 3 | Ohio State |
| 4 | Indiana |
| 5 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | UCONN |
| 7 | Virginia Tech |
| 8 | North Carolina |
| 8 | NC State |
| 10 | Iowa State |
| 11 | LSU |
| 12 | Arizona |
| 13 | UCLA |
| 14 | Michigan |
| 15 | Utah |
| 16 | Iowa |
| 17 | Oregon |
| 18 | Creighton |
| 19 | Baylor |
| 20 | Maryland |
| 21 | Arkansas |
| 22 | Gonzaga |
| 23 | Oklahoma |
| 24 | Kansas State |
| 25 | Villanova |
Ohio State's improvement in the rankings comes after it defeated two Power Five opponents on the road. The team's first win was over then-No. 18 Louisville, 96-77, breaking a 21-game home court win streak and 40-game home win streak against non-conference opponents for the Cardinals, and the second was an 82-70 victory against Rutgers in its Big Ten opener in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Buckeyes also claimed a win against then-No. 5 Tennessee, 87-75, in the season opener in Columbus, and also picked up victories in matchups with Boston College, Ohio, McNeese State, Wright State and North Alabama to put Ohio State at a perfect 8-0 record, with a 1-0 mark in Big Ten competition.
This season, guard Taylor Mikesell and forward Rebeka Mikulasikova have been the team's statistical leaders, with Mikesell contributing 19.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.25 assists and Mikulasikova adding a team-best 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. In Ohio State's most recent win over Rutgers, the duo dropped a combined 61 of the Buckeyes' 82 points – approximately three-fourths of the team's offensive production against the Scarlet Knights.
These two just went NUCLEAR #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VG7FOZM6rZ
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) December 4, 2022
Guard Jacy Sheldon has also been a tremendous asset for Ohio State this season but has been limited because of a lower-body injury. The Dublin, Ohio, native has averaged 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in her five appearances for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State will stay home this week after playing the two road games in Kentucky and New Jersey, as the Buckeyes are set to host the New Hampshire Wildcats at 11 a.m. on Thursday before welcoming Michigan State to Value City Arean at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
