Ohio State junior guard Cotie McMahon celebrates after the Buckeyes get their first lead of the game against Maryland. The Buckeyes defeated the Terrapins 74-66. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes will venture to the West Coast this week to take on two of the best teams in the country.
No. 8 Ohio State (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) will face the No.1 UCLA Bruins Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. before playing the No. 7 USC Trojans Saturday at 9 p.m.
Led by the two top scorers in the Big Ten — UCLA center Lauren Betts and USC guard JuJu Watkins — the Bruins and Trojans both feature the leading scoring offenses and defenses in the conference.
The Buckeyes fell to UCLA 77-71 and USC 83-74 last season, despite the two teams being new competitors within the Big Ten.
Leader of the Buckeye squad, forward Cotie McMahon, said her motivation for this week’s matches is personal.
“I was in a slum when we played UCLA. I had six points. My outside shot was not really developed at all, so I was really struggling,” McMahon said. “So, I’m really excited to kind of just have another chance at that. Then, USC; as a team, we just did not play good.”
No. 1 UCLA Bruins
Ohio State will face the only undefeated team in women’s college basketball in the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (21-0, 9-0 Big Ten) Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.
The Bruins have looked unstoppable throughout the season, winning all but one of their games by double digits.
UCLA leads the Big Ten in rebounding and assists, and is second in points per game, only to USC. Defensively, the Bruins allow the fewest points per game in the Big Ten.
These are the two keys for the Buckeyes to knock off the top-ranked Bruins.
Slow down Betts
For the Buckeyes to contain the Bruins, their first order of business will be to contain Betts. She averages the second most points in the Big Ten with over 20 per contest, and also leads the conference in made shots and blocks per game.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff stressed the importance of a collective effort from Buckeye defenders to limit Betts.
“I think it’s going to have to be a team effort,” McGuff said. “Obviously, they’re going to have to do their part and be physical and make her shoot tough shots over them, but we’re going to have to crowd her. She’s a great player.”
Force turnovers and capitalize on mistakes
For the Buckeyes to knock off the No.1 team in the country, they will need to do what they do best: wreak havoc on defense.
Despite excelling in almost every statistical category on defense, the Bruins are 109th in the turnover margin, whereas the Buckeyes rank first in that category.
Ohio State’s full-court press has flustered many teams and will need to continue to do so against UCLA if the Buckeyes are going to slow down the Bruins.
No. 7 USC Trojans
Ohio State will battle with No. 7 USC (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) Saturday at 9 p.m., which will be broadcast on Fox.
Like UCLA, USC is also strong on both sides of the ball, leading the Big Ten in total points and blocks per game, while also ranking second in both rebounding and opponents’ points per game.
The Trojans are led by two preseason All-Americans, Watkins and forward Kiki Iriafen. Both are top-five scorers in the conference, and Watkins leads the Big Ten averaging just under 25 points per game.
Last season, Watkins dominated as only a freshman. She was awarded first-team All-American and has scored 20 or more points in 46 of her 55 career games at USC.
These are the two keys for the Buckeyes to defeat Watkins and the Trojans.
Start fast
In its last three games, Ohio State has trailed at the end of the first quarter. Though the Buckeyes were able to claw back into each of those games and secure victories, it will be a challenge to follow that formula against USC.
McMahon expressed frustration toward Ohio State’s recent slow starts, but is confident that the team will turn it around.
“I feel like it takes time for us to really get going, but I feel like we don’t need that time,” McMahon said. “We are perfectly capable of coming out, punching [teams] in the mouth right away.”
Shoot well from behind the arc
USC is tremendous at defending the rim, as it blocks the most shots per game in the country.
One of the ways the Buckeyes can offset the Trojans defense in the paint is by shooting well from 3.
The Buckeyes rank eighth in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage, and guard Chance Gray averages the most 3-pointers made per game on the team with nearly three. Plus, guard Ava Watson and forward Taylor Thierry have each made more than five 3-pointers in a game this season.
If Ohio State can light it up from deep, it can certainly pose a challenge to USC.
