Sports

Ohio State Women Earn No. 3 Seed In NCAA Tournament

WOSU 89.7 NPR News | By Steve Brown

Published March 13, 2018 at 8:15 AM EDT

Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell, right, dribbles the basketball while being defended by Maryland guard Kaila Charles during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the Big Ten conference tournament on March 4, 2018.

If even for just a weekend, St. John Arena will once again be the heart of Ohio State basketball.

The aging arena and former home for both Buckeye basketball teams will be the backdrop as the Ohio State women’s team takes on No. 14 seed George Washington University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

If they can get past George Washington, the Buckeyes would take on the winner of Saturday’s Central Michigan-LSU matchup in St. John Arena on Monday.

The 2018 tournament appearance is the 12^th in 14 years for the Buckeyes, who won the Big Ten tournament last week over Maryland. Ohio State also won the Big Ten regular season title.

Ohio State is a senior-laden team led by three-time Big Ten Player of the Year Kelsey Mitchell. She’s also the third-leading scorer in NCAA history.

Columbus is hosting the women’s Final Four in Nationwide Arena March 30-April 1.