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Why Ohio State women's basketball transfers are being considered 'really important'
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- Why Ohio State women's basketball transfers are being considered 'really important'
The expectations are high for the newcomers of the Ohio State women's basketball team, especially transfers T'yana Todd and Kylee Kitts.
Over half the Buckeyes' roster from last season has moved on. Veterans such as Taylor Thierry and Madison Greene graduated. Other players transferred out, including team-leading scorer Cotie McMahon , who headed to Ole Miss.
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Going into the 2025-26 season, the Buckeyes have just five players who recorded playing time the previous year.
"I know who we lost and I know who we have," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "It is still a work in progress. I think we'll look similar from a pace standpoint, from a style standpoint. We'll press and do those things. I just think we're going to score in different ways and hopefully more at the 3-point line."
Guard T'yana Todd had a 3-point percentage of 45.9% last season when she played for Boston College.
A key to improving the Buckeyes' 34.2% 3-point shooting is Todd, a senior guard from Boston College . In her final season with the Eagles, Todd was ranked fourth in the country in 3-point percentage, going 45.9% from beyond the arc.
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Kitts is joining Ohio State from Florida , where she redshirted her freshman year. Slotting into the Buckeyes' post-player group, Kitts stands at 6-foot-4. The forward is the younger sister of South Carolina 's team-leading rebounder, Chloe Kitts .
"T'yana and Kylee are going to be really important for us right away," McGuff said. "And I think they will both play significant roles in what we're going to try to accomplish this year."
More: Ohio State women's Big Ten basketball schedule announced
T'yana Todd, Chance Gray look to form 3-point shooting duo for Ohio State
McGuff said Todd's addition was intended to improve its 3-point shooting.
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She was ranked second from beyond the arc at Boston College during her freshman year, shooting 30.3%. Her sophomore year, she became the Eagles' team leader at 35.8%.
During Todd's junior year, when her 3-point average improved more than 10%, she went 67-for-146 and had the top 3-point percentage in the ACC.
The Buckeyes will be relying on Todd and returning senior Chance Gray to lead the team beyond the arc.
"We're both shooters, obviously, but we're both a little bit different," Gray said. "She plays at a different pace and is a little bit longer. So, I think we play off each other very well. … It's good to have someone else who can spread the floor, and someone else to respect that they can shoot as well."
Guard T'yana Todd had a 3-point percentage of 45.9% last season when she played for Boston College.
While Ohio State ranked tenth among Big Ten teams in 3-pointers made with 212, Gray was eighth in the conference, hitting 70.
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Kylee Kitts leans on work ethic ahead of first collegiate season with
Ohio State sophomore Elsa Lemmila is the only returning player taller than six feet, so Kitts is joining a young post core alongside Lemmila and fellow redshirt freshman Ella Hobbs.
Where Kitts lacks in experience, she is making up for it in her work ethic, according to her new teammates.
"She's growing and learning each day," Gray said. "She wants to be in the gym all the time. On her off days, she's always in the gym when she can be."
Ohio State opens the 2025-26 season against Coppin State on Nov. 9 at Value City Arena. The tipoff time has yet to be announced.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball considers transfers 'really important'
