The Ohio State men's team will not be a participant in March Madness this year, but the women's team takes its high-powered offense to Lexington, Kentucky this afternoon to open NCAA Tournament play against Western Kentucky.
Despite a 26-6 record, a regular-season Big Ten title, 16-2 finish to the season and a No. 11 ranking in the final regular-season AP Poll, the Buckeyes enter the tournament as just a No. 5 seed and as such will not host the opening weekend's games.
Regardless of seeding, Ohio State is still poised to make a deep tournament run beginning with a matchup against No. 12 seed Western Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky.
Scouting Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky heads to the NCAA Tournament as one of the hotter teams in the field. The Hilltoppers have won 12 straight games entering Friday's matchup, and secured the regular-season Conference USA title as well as the tournament title.
The Hilltoppers are a team that lives and dies by the three-point shot. The team set a new single-season program record with 233 three-pointers made this season and has 20 games where its scored seven or more three-pointers. Of late, the success behind the arc has been due to the hot shooting of sophomore Sidnee Bopp. After hitting just 19 three-pointers during the regular season, Bopp was 12-of-23 in the Conference USA tournament.
In addition to the three-point shooting, Western Kentucky is careful with the ball. The Hilltoppers turn the ball over just 10.9 times a game — good for fourth in the entire NCAA.
While the Hilltoppers usually win with offense, they've proven they can shut down a team defensively as well. This year, Western Kentucky broke the NCAA record for fewest points allowed in a half, holding Lipscomb to just two points in the first half of their Dec. 15 matchup.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter the tournament as one of the best offensive teams in the country. Ohio State ranks fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 86.6 points per game, which is an improvement on last season's school-record 86 points per game.
Like the Hilltoppers, the Buckeyes like to shoot the ball from the outside. Ohio State has made 10 or more three-pointers eight times this season, including three of its last four games.
Much of this success from behind the arc is due to the play of Kelsey Mitchell. In just her third season, Mitchell is already Ohio State's third all-time leading scorer with 2,499 points and the school's all-time three-point makes leader with 360. She ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 6 in the nation in scoring and has scored 20 or more points in 10 of her last 11 games.
This season, though, the Buckeyes haven't had to rely on perimeter shooting or Mitchell's scoring touch. The team has talent and depth at nearly every position, including in the post. For just the third time in program history, Ohio State has pulled down 50 or more rebounds in 10 games, thanks in no small part to Stephanie Mavunga, who averaged a double-double with 11.3 rebounds a game.
Unfortunately for Ohio State, Mavunga went down with a foot injury in early February and has missed every game since, but the Buckeyes didn't seem to miss a beat without her, locking up a conference title and beating a top-two team for the first time since the 1993 season.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said Mavunga will be a game-time decision Friday, but the Buckeyes expect her to return at some point during the tournament.
How it Plays Out
Quite simply, Ohio State is the better team. The Buckeyes do not have the talent of a No. 5 seed — they have the talent of a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, and that's bad news for the Hilltoppers.
Ohio State is led by one of the top players in the country and plays a rotation of 10 players who would play meaningful minutes just about anywhere in the country. The Buckeyes are simply more talented and deeper than the Hilltoppers and should advance to the round of 32 if they execute properly.
Of course, there's always a chance Western Kentucky has a game where the team cannot seem to miss from behind the arc, in which case Ohio State — or any team, really — would be in serious trouble. However, it's equally or perhaps even more likely the Buckeyes have one of those games as well.
Kevin's Prediction: Ohio State 90 Western Kentucky 76
How to Watch
The game tips off in Lexington, Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
