First Year Diana Collins shots a three-pointer during Buckeyes on the Blacktop held in the shoe.
Credit: Lily Hynes | Assistant Photo Editor
Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon knows Ohio State can build from their Elite Eight appearance a year ago.
Sheldon, who missed 23 games due to a lower-leg injury last season, is expected to lead the Buckeyes in her fifth and final season and said a short drive to Cleveland for the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four is the goal.
“We want to make it to Cleveland, we want to compete for that,” Sheldon said. “We know we have the skill and the talent to do that.”
Overview
With the 2022-23 season just weeks away, Ohio State enters as the No. 7 team in the Associated Press Top 25. This is the team’s highest ranking since 2017, when it was ranked No. 5 to start the season.
However, Ohio State is not the only Big Ten team in the top 10, as Iowa is ranked No. 3 and Indiana is ranked No. 9.
Despite this, head coach Kevin McGuff said he is embracing the competition and is excited to see where the Buckeyes stack up in the Big Ten.
“This is as good as the Big Ten has ever been,” McGuff said. “The environments everywhere are really tough to play in. It’s going to be another really really tough season in terms of the competition in the Big Ten.”
While the competition is no joke, Ohio State will have championship aspirations after losing in the Elite Eight to No. 1-seeded Virginia Tech last season. This year’s team will have a lot of experience, with 10 players returning from last season.
Sheldon and sophomore forward Cotie McMahon headline the returners. Both were named to the All-Big Ten Preseason Team by coaches and the media.
Going into her second year, McMahon said growing as a player and having more knowledge is important now that teams have seen her play.
“You kind of have to understand that the scouting report is going to be different,” McMahon said. “I’m going to be guarded differently, but I’m obviously going to have to find different ways to score, so kind of just continuing to develop my game.”
The returners will play a significant role this season, but five new faces have also been added to the squad, including two freshmen and three transfers.
Highlighting the new faces is Duke graduate transfer Celeste Taylor, who was the leading scorer for the Blue Devils last season, averaging 11.4 points. She was also named the 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Taylor is expected to improve the Buckeyes’ half-court defense, and McGuff thinks she can really take her game to a new level.
“I think with how we play, especially in our press, she is going to be really effective,” McGuff said. “I think a different offensive system will give her a chance to showcase her skills more than she has been able to in the past.”
Taylor should fit right in, as the Buckeyes will rely on their defense once again, which averaged just over 20 turnovers a game last year. Ohio State’s signature full-court press is credited for forcing many of those turnovers, as the Buckeyes were ranked a top-20 defense in turnovers forced per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, some players will need to step up after guard Taylor Mikesell was drafted in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft. Mikesell led the Buckeyes in scoring last season, averaging 17.2 points.
Because of Mikesell’s loss, players like redshirt-senior guard Rikki Harris, redshirt-sophomore guard Emma Shumate, and graduate forward Rebeka Mikulasikova should have an extended role this season.
Schedule
The Buckeyes begin their season with a test in Las Vegas as they go up against the No. 21 USC Trojans in the Naismith Hall of Fame Series Monday.
Following this game, IUPUI comes to Columbus to take on Ohio State in the home opener Nov. 12 and a matchup against Boston College follows on Nov. 16.
The Buckeyes will then head to the Bahamas and participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship against East Carolina and Oklahoma State during Thanksgiving week.
Ohio State then heads back home to face Cornell Nov. 26 and will make the trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, to battle the No. 11 Volunteers Dec. 3 on ESPN.
On Dec. 5, Ohio State will have an in-state matchup against the Ohio Bobcats at Value City Arena. Following this, the Buckeyes open Big Ten play against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Value City Arena Dec. 10 and will welcome Grand Valley State to Columbus on Dec. 15.
In a highly anticipated matchup, No. 4 UCLA makes its way to Columbus to take on Ohio State Dec. 18, and just four days later, coach McGuff will face his daughter Kilyn and the Belmont Bruins at home Dec. 22.
After this, the Buckeyes will head to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face the Wolverines in the first rivalry matchup between the schools this season. After a few days off, Ohio State will have an away matchup Jan. 5, 2024, against Northwestern.
On Jan. 11, Ohio State faces Rutgers, followed by a Jan. 14 matchup against Michigan State, which is graduate forward Taiyier Parks’ former team.
After this, the Buckeyes will have a tough three games as they face No. 14 Maryland Jan. 17, Caitlyn Clark and No. 3 Iowa Jan. 21 and No. 23 Illinois Jan. 25.
Following these games, Ohio State faces Purdue on Jan. 28 and Wisconsin Feb. 1, before a tough matchup against No. 9 Indiana in Columbus.
The Buckeyes will head back out on the road to face Minnesota Feb. 8, before a second matchup in East Lansing, Michigan, against Michigan State Feb. 11. The two games are followed by a home game Feb. 14 against Nebraska.
Ohio State will then head to Penn State Feb. 22 to take on the Nittany Lions for a second time before a tough rematch against Maryland at home Feb. 25.
In the home finale, the Buckeyes host Michigan Feb. 28 in the second game of the rivalry this season.
Ohio State will close the season in a tough matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes March 3.
