Ohio State has dropped in the rankings once more after staying unbeaten for the previous two months.
After dropping their next two games to Iowa and Maryland (the latter in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals), the Buckeyes moved up from No. 18 to No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings. They then finished at No. 7 in the Week 19 poll. From January 1 to February 28, the Buckeyes went on a 15-game winning streak, defeating both No. 10 Indiana and then-No. 2 Iowa.
They were able to defeat teams with their full-court press in the third quarter, even though they had kept a few other games closer in the first half.
After being selected the conference’s Coach of the Year, head coach Kevin McGuff told the media on Wednesday that he wasn’t worried about the honor and was instead concentrating on leading a strong Maryland squad. That’s why the Buckeyes’ 21-point loss to the Lady Terps on Friday might have surprised more people.
Ohio State is still only one of three Big Ten teams in the standings, having moved up to the top following the conference tournament.
Along with UCLA, McGuff’s club was the only one in the top 10 to miss out on a league semifinal and the conference tournament final.
Nonetheless, Ohio State is still expected to secure a top-2 seed and will serve as the host for the tournament’s first two rounds.
On Selection Sunday, March 17, they will learn the overall seedings and pairings.
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