The top-seeded Ohio State women’s basketball team will take the court for the first time since Sunday at noon on Friday. The Maryland Terrapins present the Buckeyes with their first mountain to climb in a match that defies their tournament history.
The Terrapins and Buckeyes have only faced each other in the championship round of three prior conference tournaments. Now, Ohio State takes on the Terps in the hopes of advancing to the semifinals rather than competing against Maryland for a trophy.
The Scarlet and Gray begin the competition by facing a team for the third time in the campaign for the third season in a row. Is it able to replicate its 2022 performance against the Michigan State Spartans
When it comes to the conference tournament, Maryland and Ohio State are two teams who elevate their game. Over the previous nine seasons, the Buckeyes and Terrapins have each appeared in seven tournament final fours. At least one of those sides will buck that pattern on Friday.
Head coach of the Scarlet and Gray Kevin McGuff’s Ohio State teams has not lost when they have advanced to the quarterfinals and has only participated in one tournament game throughout his nine postseasons in charge of the program.
Although the Buckeyes have prevailed in all of their prior games, Maryland has been competitive against Ohio State this year, and that might continue on Friday. The Terrapins were the most successful team against the Scarlet and Gray in the second half of a 2024 game, with the exception of coach McGuff’s squad’s lone loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes this year.
After trailing the Buckeyes in the first half, the Terps rallied to defeat them 24–16 in Columbus. This year, only twice has a team outscored Ohio State in the third quarter of a game—the other being the victory over Iowa on January 21.
That day, guards Bri McDaniel and Brinae Alexander led the way. 37 points and nine assists between the two were scored back on feb 25.
