No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball preview at No. 12 Ohio State
The Terps look to bounce back on the road.
No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball looks to bounce back after its worst loss of the season, falling to No. 7 Texas, 89-51, Monday.
The Terps will travel to No. 12 Ohio State Thursday night, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-1, 6-1 Big Ten)
2023-24 record: 26-6, 16-2 Big Ten
Head coach Kevin McGuff is in his 12th season with the Buckeyes and has resurged the program to postseason success over the past three years after being tied down by sanctions for recruiting violations.
Ohio State is coming off its first loss of the season Sunday, when Penn State took down the Buckeyes, 62-59. Ohio State has two ranked wins under its belt, though, defeating then-No. 21 Illinois and then-No. 25 Michigan.
Players to watch
Cotie McMahon, junior forward, 6-foot-0, No. 32 — McMahon leads the Buckeyes with 16.6 points per game, while averaging 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She is also quite efficient, shooting 44% from the field and 35.4% from deep this year. McMahon was an All-Big Ten first-team selection last season.
Chance Gray, junior guard, 5-foot-9, No. 21 — Gray is in her first season with the Buckeyes after transferring from Oregon. She ranks second on the team with 15.9 points per game, and averages 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She has been a key contributor for the Buckeyes, shooting 45.2% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point range.
Ajae Petty, graduate student forward, 6-foot-3, No. 1 — Petty, a Baltimore native, is in her first season with Ohio State after stops at LSU and Kentucky. She leads the Buckeyes with 7.9 rebounds per game, paired with 10.6 points and 1.7 assists per game. She averaged 14.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season at Kentucky.
Strength
Ball control. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 13.6 steals per game — which ranks sixth in the nation — and 24.4 forced turnovers per game. The Buckeyes also average 13 turnovers per game, the third-least in the conference.
Ohio State scores 26.4 points off turnovers per game, while opponents only average 8.8.
Weakness
Defensive rebounds. The Buckeyes average 25 defensive rebounds per game, the second-least in the Big Ten. Their 37.6 total rebounds per game also ranks 11th in the Big Ten, as rebounding could be key to victory Thursday for the Terps.
Three things to watch
1. Will Shyanne Sellers be available? Maryland’s star senior guard exited last game against Texas with an injury and failed to come back into the game after attempting to play through it. It is unclear whether or not she will be at the Terps’ disposal Thursday, and her availability has a big impact on Maryland’s chances in Columbus, Ohio.
2. Can the Terps bounce back? For the first time this season, Maryland was blown out and completely overmatched Monday. Hopping back into conference play, it should be interesting to see how the Terps come out on the road to prevent two straight losses.
3. Who will step up? Last game, without Bri McDaniel — who is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL — and Sellers, it was evident the Terps’ depth may be tested moving forward. The most likely source of this perceived step up for head coach Brenda Frese is freshman Ava McKennie, who earned some playing time but hasn’t shown her full potential yet. Whether McKennie can be a key contributor may be displayed Thursday.
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