COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s women’s basketball team was ranked as a No. 2 seed and will play No. 15 Maine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The two schools are in the Portland region of the bracket.
Maine won the America East conference tournament and is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. The Black Bears have won just won game in the NCAA Tournament in their history.
It’s been 10 days since Ohio State women’s basketball lost to the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten Tournament. Now, after a long wait, the No. 2 seeded Buckeyes know who it’ll face in its next game, welcoming the No. 15 Maine Black Bears to the Schottenstein Center. It’s the first of potentially two home games to start the annual tournament.
Ohio State and Maine play at noon p.m. ET on Friday, March 22. Then, at 2:30 p.m. ET, the other Columbus First Round game tips off between the Duke Blue Devils and Richmond Spiders.
Unlike the men’s tournament, the women’s edition of March Madness features all 16 top-four seeds hosting the first two rounds of games. The 2024 edition is the second season in a row where the Buckeyes host games.
Last season, Ohio State defeated the James Madison University Dukes and North Carolina Tar Heels, before traveling to Seattle, Washington. In the Sweet Sixteen, head coach Kevin McGuff’s side defeated the UConn Huskies. Then, in the Elite Eight, the Buckeyes fell short of its first Final Four appearance in 30 years, falling to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The Buckeyes enter the tournament on a two-game losing streak. Falling to the Terps 82-61 was the first time an Ohio State team coached by McGuff entered the conference tournament in the quarterfinals and lost.
In Iowa City, Iowa, six days earlier, superstar guard Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes frustrated every attempted Buckeyes comeback. Clark ended her Iowa regular season career with a 10-point win over Ohio State.
Now, the Scarlet and Gray have ample motivation going into the tournament, as if playing for a National Championship wasn’t enough. Although the road won’t be too easy.
After sitting in the NCAA Tournament committee’s final top-four release on Feb. 26, the two defeats dropped the Buckeyes down to a No. 2 seed in March Madness. Should seeding hold true, and Ohio State makes it to the Elite Eight, it’ll have a matchup against the USC Trojans.
However, there’s a lot that has to happen before the Scarlet and Gray can worry about an Elite Eight matchup. Should the Buckeyes win its First Round game, it plays the winner of the Duke Blue Devils vs. the Richmond Spiders, playing in the other First Round game held in Columbus. Setting up a potential game for Celeste Taylor against her former ACC team. A side she led to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
A win in both games for the Buckeyes gives Ohio State a trip to either Portland, Oregon. Win in the Elite Eight, and it’s a home venue for the Scarlet and Gray, kind of. This year’s edition of the Final Four takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Last season, three conference teams made it to the Elite Eight, the Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, and Terrapins. The Hawkeyes advanced all the way to the National Championship game, losing to the LSU Tigers.
