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Has No. 12 Ohio State women's basketball nonconference schedule been too easy?
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- Has No. 12 Ohio State women's basketball nonconference schedule been too easy?
The 12th-ranked Ohio State women's basketball team is undefeated through its first seven games of the season, but the weakness of the Buckeyes' nonconference schedule robs that feat of some of its luster.
When the Buckeyes' full schedule was released less than a month prior to the start of the season , the lack of big-name opponents from outside the conference was glaring. Of their 11 nonconference games, only one was against a Power Five team − Stanford on Dec. 20.
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Though Stanford has a long history of success, facing the Cardinal is no longer as tough of a task as it has been in previous seasons. Following the retirement of Hall of Fame and former Buckeyes coach Tara VanDerveer, Stanford is unranked and in a rebuild year.
The nonconference schedule created by Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff this season is a step back from his approach in previous years. In 2023-24, the Buckeyes went up against ranked teams UCLA and USC , which are now a part of the Big Ten, as well as Tennessee.
Ohio State point guard Madison Greene is OK with the fact that the Buckeyes have yet to face a ranked opponent. "That will help us get more grounded in how we play and how we play together," she said.
It is common for the Buckeyes to schedule some games against mid-major teams, as it benefits both Ohio State in terms of experience and the opponent in terms of exposure.
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Having seven straight mid-major opponents, however, is an unusual but deliberate choice by McGuff with six new players being used in the Buckeyes' rotation.
"We want to make sure we played a schedule that just kind of fit this team," McGuff said. "It'll be challenging enough that we'll learn what we need to learn before we head into the Big Ten."
Coach Kevin McGuff's Ohio State Buckeyes are 7-0 but have just two wins over opponents with a .500 or better record.
Of the seven teams Ohio State has played this season, only two have a winning percentage of over .500. Their combined record is 24-28.
Sixth-year point guard Madison Greene has experienced challenging nonconference schedules, and agrees that playing these mid-major teams before Big Ten play is important for the new Buckeye players.
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"That will help us get more grounded in how we play and how we play together," Greene said. "We're still going to play really good teams in the future. So, I think having those lower-level ranked teams, playing them first, will help us establish ourselves."
While Ohio State has beaten teams by an average of 35.1 points this season, it had challenges.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) dribbles the ball against the Bowling Green Falcons in the second half at Value City Arena on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Against Belmont on Nov. 17, the Buckeyes needed a last-minute basket from freshman Jaloni Cambridge to win 67-63.
The Buckeyes were then dealt a blow when starting forward Cotie McMahon suffered a right lower-leg injury during practice , leaving her sidelined for the Buckeyes' past four games.
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Both the close call with Belmont and winning without McMahon have prepared new players such as redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cambridge , who's playing her first season for Ohio State, for the Buckeyes' first Big Ten matchup against Illinois Sunday.
"This is really good for the chemistry because with these blowouts, as you guys say, we have the opportunity to switch people in," Cambridge said. "People have that opportunity to play with certain groups because, again, anything could happen. Someone could foul out, and someone has to come off the bench, so I feel like this is a good test run."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why Ohio State women's basketball has lighter non-Big Ten schedule
