The Ohio State women’s basketball team has earned a No. 2-seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It was announced Sunday that the Buckeyes will play No. 15 Maine in the first round. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor

March Madness is finally here. 

The Ohio State women’s basketball team (25-5, 16-2 Big Ten) was selected as the No. 2 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Sunday and will host the 15-seed Maine Black Bears (24-9, 14-2 America East) in the Round of 64 Friday at Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center. 

It is the first time since 2010 that the Buckeyes will be a No. 2 seed and the first time under head coach Kevin McGuff. 

McGuff said Ohio State has been focusing on moving on from its recent two-game skid and preparing for its matchup with Maine. 

“I think we learned from that tough loss and then also moved past it and started focusing on ourselves and getting better,” McGuff said. 

The Black Bears are coming off a 64-48 win over Vermont in the America East Championship Friday. They are led by graduate guard Anne Simon and junior forward Adrianna Smith. 

Simon leads the team in scoring at 18.8 points per game, while Smith averages a double-double of 16.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. 

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes will look to shake off an 82-61 loss to Maryland on March 8 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Minneapolis. 

Ohio State will be led by its trio of superstars in graduate guard Jacy Sheldon, sophomore forward Cotie McMahon and the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year graduate guard Celeste Taylor. 

Sheldon leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game, while McMahon averages 14.1 points per game and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Taylor leads the Big Ten in steals per game at 2.3, while also averaging 10.2 points per game. 

McMahon said there is still unfinished business for the Buckeyes as they look to build off last season’s Elite Eight run. 

“We’re capable of doing a lot more and we’ve had a week to prep,” McMahon said. “Now we have another week to prep and prove to ourselves what we’re really capable of and what this team is capable of and the sky’s the limit for us.” 

With a win, Ohio State will face the winner of the matchup between No. 7 seed Duke and No. 10 seed Richmond in the Round of 32.