The No. 3 seed Ohio State women's basketball team will play No. 14 Howard on Saturday morning at the Schottenstein Center.
WOSU’s Debbie Holmes spoke with Columbus Dispatch sportswriter Brianna Mac Kay about how far Ohio State could play this year.
Debbie Holmes: First off, it looks like the women won't have too much of a challenge with Howard. What do you see in that game?
Brianna Mac Kay: I agree, they probably won't have too much of a challenge. I think they have the advantage of having Jaloni Cambridge, an All-American, on their team. Howard had struggled against power four teams this season...Ohio State was able to pick up a win over Purdue. So, there's just a lot of talent on Ohio State's team and Jaloni Cambridge and Chance Gray that I think Howard's going to struggle in stopping.
Debbie Holmes: Who would they play after that should they succeed?
Brianna Mac Kay: It would be No. 6 seed Notre Dame, who are the likely favorites over the 11th seed Fairfield. That might be a close matchup as well, so one after Ohio State at the Schottenstein Center. But if Notre Dame pulls it out, they'll be facing the Fighting Irish.
Debbie Holmes: So how many rounds could they play at the Schottenstein Center?
Brianna Mac Kay: Could be up to two rounds. And then if they beat either Notre Dame or Fairfield, they would go to Fort Worth and compete in their first Sweet 16 since 2023.
Debbie Holmes: Which players stand out for you at this time of the year for the Buckeyes?
Brianna Mac Kay: Jaloni Cambridge is the name everyone's going to be talking about. She was second team AP All-American, and she was first team Big Ten All-Conference. She scored over 23 points in the regular season on average. She is their best player by far but supporting players on the Buckeyes have started to impress me a lot too. Chance Gray, she's a veteran. She is a senior who's really come into a consistent offensive. And then Elsa Lemmila, she's their center and she's had really strong performances to close out the regular season in the Big Ten tournament. So, I think those are three players to really keep an eye out for.
Debbie Holmes: Since 2015 under coach Kevin McGuff, the team has been in eight NCAA tournament appearances, and they've never lost in the first round. How does his coaching style help the team?
Brianna Mac Kay: I think they play very fast-paced, and it's very hard for teams to try to figure out anything. And they rely a lot on their press, so the minute they get anything going offensively, it's usually from defense. And it's hard to stop because teams are trying to just catch up, but every second they have to try and catch up, Ohio State is pouncing with their press.
Debbie Holmes: Is anyone out due to illness?
Brianna Mac Kay: No, they're all healthy. Kylee Kitts, their redshirt freshman, she was a starter at the beginning of the season. She dealt with a right shoulder injury in January, but she started to come back into the lineup off the bench And she produced some solid minutes for the Buckeyes and the Big Ten tournament. I think she'll continue being an option for Ohio State in the NCAA tournament.
Debbie Holmes: How far do you think they can go?
Brianna Mac Kay: They have a strong potential to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2023. I think they have a really solid core group of players who've been playing really well together. They looked good even against UCLA, one of the top teams in the nation. And I think they can make Sweet 16. If they do, they could run into the No. 2 seed, Vanderbilt, who has one of the best players in the country, Mikayla Blakes. That probably could cause big issues for Ohio State, but I think that they have a strong potential to reach the Sweet 16.
Debbie Holmes: You know, it's called March Madness, and a lot of talk is about the men still. Do you think the women have gotten the respect today that they deserve?
Brianna Mac Kay: I mean, I think sometimes they get a little overlooked. It happens all the time in women's basketball, especially there was a lot of talk about the (Ohio State) men's (team) making their first tournament in, I believe three or four years. But the women have been hosting the last four years. This is their fourth consecutive year of hosting, and you only get to do that as a top four team in the region. So, there's been a little bit of being overlooked. If they can perform really well against, especially a team like Notre Dame, I think they'll start to continue getting respect and getting attention.
