Elite Offensive Tackle Recruit Eliminates Nebraska Basketball….

Wednesday was Valentine’s Day at the Schottenstein Center and love was in the air. Love for Ohio State women’s basketball. The No. 2 team in the nation returned home for the last time before an eight-day break between competition, but not until at least 40 minutes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Buckeyes’ upcoming break didn’t cause Ohio State to look past the Cornhuskers, easily defeating Nebraska’s Big Red 80-47.

Ohio State came out of the gate slowly on offense. Halfway through the first quarter, the Buckeyes missed its first four shots from deep and a lone layup by forward Cotie McMahon started the scoring. Even so, Nebraska struggled to get anything past the Ohio State defense, taking over four minutes to get its first basket of the game.

Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side held the Cornhuskers to 2-for-9 shooting from the floor, and it looked like the two sides were taking time to warm up or it would be a low-scoring, defensive, night.

The scarlet and gray responded before the Cornhuskers, going 4-for-6 to end the quarter. On the other side of the court, the Cornhuskers couldn’t hold onto the ball. The Buckeyes forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. Plus, center Alexis Markowski and forward Natalie Potts couldn’t get shots to fall in the post, thanks in part to the Ohio State defense.

Nebraska’s formidable interior duo scored a combined two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Although Markowski was still active, grabbing seven rebounds in nine minutes on the court. However, forward Rebeka Mikulášiková, who was the primary post defender and scorer of four first quarter points, left for medical attention near the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Mikulášiková checked back into the game and the Buckeye’s work continued. Ohio State’s shooting effectiveness increased and the Cornhuskers couldn’t make shots fall.

The Buckeyes went 5-for-8 to start the quarter, including an eight-point run that featured a midair move around the Nebraska defense by guard Jacy Sheldon who got the Schottenstein Center crowd on its feet.

No matter what the Cornhuskers tried, it couldn’t adjust quick enough to slow the Buckeyes or consistently score baskets. Ohio State outscored the visitors 19-12 in the second quarter, pushing the game’s turnover total for Nebraska up to 15, after entering the night giving the ball away 14.3 times per game.

Ohio State’s work in the paint continued too, holding the Cornhuskers to eight points total in the paint in the first 20 minutes, compared to 14 for the Buckeyes. Although Nebraska out rebounded Ohio State, behind 10 rebounds by Markowski, the scarlet and gray only grabbed one less than Big Red, showing that Coach McGuff’s side was going to go right at the strength of the Cornhuskers.

At the start of the second half, the Buckeyes’ 14-point lead was the same total the Cornhuskers overcame in the fourth quarter Sunday against the then No. 2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. There were still 20 minutes to play before Ohio State could retain its No. 2 ranking.

From the start of the second quarter, it didn’t look like the Buckeyes were too interested in giving up the lead. In the first minute and 45 seconds of the quarter, Ohio State forced two turnovers and went on a seven-point run, forcing a timeout by Nebraska head coach Amy Williams.

The timeout didn’t work and things would get worse for the Cornhuskers.

Ohio State started the half on a 13-point run and pushed Nebraska to reach its season high in turnovers (23) with over half of the third quarter remaining. The Buckeyes’ lead grew to 29 points, despite Big Red hitting consecutive three-point shots, which became the strategy for Coach Williams to try and slow Ohio State momentum and trim the deficit as much as possible.

At the end of the third quarter though, the 14-point halftime lead doubled for the Buckeyes and Coach McGuff wasn’t done. The Ohio State domination continued into the fourth quarter, with all five starters beginning the quarter. The scarlet and gray’s lead increased to 33 points and as starters trickled to the bench, only a miracle could turn the game in the Cornhuskers’ favor.

That miracle never came and the Buckeyes take its 80-47 win into a small break.

Jacy Sheldon Inches Closer to 2,000

With 23 points on the day, plus six assists, Sheldon’s career scoring total hit 1,899. The guard led the Buckeyes in scoring on the day too, with sophomore forward McMahon sitting right behind the graduate senior with 20 points of her own, plus 10 rebounds and four steals.

Curse Broken

For only the second time in the 2024 calendar year, the Buckeyes’ victory avoids the No. 2 ranking curse that hit the Kansas State Wildcats, UCLA Bruins and Iowa Hawkeyes. With no more games remaining this week, plus the extent of Wednesday’s win, it’s no surprise to see the Buckeyes retain its No. 2 ranking heading into next Thursday’s game against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

What’s Next

Now, the Buckeyes have eight days off from competition. The next time Ohio State takes the court it will be in State College, Pennsylvania, taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions at historic Rec Hall, instead of the Schottenstein Center-esque Bryce Jordan Center.

The last time the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions faced off, it took overtime before the scarlet and gray came away with a 94-84 victory. That was also against a Penn State team without former All-American Ashley Owusu, who’s returned to NCAA basketball and helped lift the Nittany Lions since the start of 2024.