The Ohio State women’s basketball team sings “Carmen Ohio” with Brutus Buckeye after defeating Youngstown State 87-39 Dec. 14, 2024. Now, the Buckeyes are preparing to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
For the fourth consecutive season, the Buckeyes are officially headed for March Madness.
Ohio State earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and is set to host the Montana State Bobcats at the Schottenstein Center Friday. With a Buckeye win, Ohio State would welcome the winner of No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida.
If the Buckeyes’ home record is any indication of what to expect in their first two games, they may be poised for success, as Ohio State is a perfect 15-0 on its home floor in the 2024-25 season. Overall, the Buckeyes recorded a 25-6 record, including a 13-5 showing in the Big Ten.
Notably, the tournament appearance will mark head coach Kevin McGuff’s eighth at Ohio State in his 12 seasons at the helm.
But the Buckeyes are hoping to do much more than just play in this year’s tournament. They also want to shake off some recent losses and earn redemption.
Most recently, Ohio State was annihilated 75-46 by the UCLA Bruins — the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 seed — in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal March 8. And one year ago, the Buckeyes were also upset by the Duke Blue Devils on their home court in the second round of the tournament.
Led by junior forward Cotie McMahon and freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State will look to make a run toward the Final Four — something it hasn’t done in 32 years — and eventually win the national championship, a feat the school has never accomplished.
