Ohio State freshman guard Rikki Harris (1) dribbles the ball down the court during the Ohio State-Northern Kentucky Norse game on Dec. 6. Ohio State won 96-63. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
After a short stoppage in play due to a presumed positive COVID-19 test during pre-game preparations Sunday, the Buckeyes return to the hardwood in a bout with the Purdue Boilermakers Thursday night at the Schottenstein Center.
No. 15 Ohio State (12-3, 8-3) was looking to avenge a loss against Northwestern Sunday, coming off of its loss against Wisconsin. The Buckeyes will have to shift gears and refocus to take on the Boilermakers (6-11, 3-10).
Ohio State redshirt freshman guard Rikki Harris said that the scheduling change has her team unphased.
“I would say that, sadly to say, we are used to this,” Harris said. “At this point, whenever we find out that something does happen, we come together as a team, practice hard and whoever is next in line has to step up.”
Ohio State will take the court against Purdue as one of three Big Ten teams defending an undefeated record at home, accompanied by No. 9 Maryland and No. 11 Michigan.
The Boilermakers are dragging through a five-game losing streak, their last win a 56-55 struggle against Wisconsin Jan. 21 who defeated the Buckeyes last Wednesday.
Despite Purdue’s struggles this season, junior guard Kayana Traylor has continued her success on offense averaging 13.9 points per game, ranking 25th in the conference for scoring.
The Boilermaker offense, as a whole, averages 65 points per game.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said that he does not expect the Buckeyes to be at full strength against Purdue, but still looks forward to the game after the presumed positive COVID-19 test canceled the matchup Sunday.
“As of right now, we look good to go to play tomorrow, so we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play Purdue,” McGuff said.
A usually stout Ohio State defense has been permeable during the recent stretch, surrendering an average of 73.67 points over their last three games — six points more than its season average.
McGuff said that Purdue’s size presents a challenge on the defensive half of the floor and his team will need to stay in rhythm to shut down the Boilermaker offense.
“They are really good defensively. They switch their defenses. They play a great matchup zone. Also, they play very kind of stingy in their man-to-man defense. They’re also really big. They have some really big kids around the basket which can make it very difficult to score over them,” McGuff said. “They’re also very deliberate on offense. They like a slower pace game, which can take us out of our rhythm at times if we’re not careful about how we react to that.”
The mid-week matchup will be the only meeting between the two teams this season.
Harris said that she enjoys a home-and-home series but will not take the single meeting for granted.
“I like playing at both places because a lot of teams, and sometimes us, feel like when you play at another place it is harder to win then when you play at home you are going to win,” Harris said. “A lot of teams can hold that over you like ‘Oh we played at their place. They had home court advantage.’ So I really like playing away games. Going there, they know that we beat you at your home.”
Ohio State will take on Purdue at the Schottenstein Center Thursday at 4 p.m. on BTN+.
