Everyone is talking about the Ohio State Buckeyes. , about the brutal ways they wear down their opponents, about how they made it on national television, and kicked ass, proving it all that the Buckeyes belong at the top. , when No. 4 Ohio State quickly fell behind the struggling No. 18 Louisville Cardinals, it seemed momentarily as if their new AP rankings were a hoax. But really, this is their style. Down 13 points early in the third quarter, Ohio State continued to ramp up pressure on Louisville, winning 96-77. The atmosphere in Columbus has never been better.
Meet the most exhilarating and annoying team in the country. If they repeat as Big Ten Champions and finally top Sweet His Sixteen this season, they will do so by tormenting their opponents. Through seven games (his two against ranked teams), the Buckeyes forced him to make 29 turnovers per game. That’s more than any other Division I women’s team. They also lead the DI in steals per game, averaging over 17 (his second-best team in the category, Arizona, averages 13). Ohio State University’s secret is simple. 40 minutes. Even typing exhausts me. But Ohio State knows their weakness is on the halfcourt. Six-foot-four-inch senior Rebekah Mikrasikova is the rotation’s only experienced big, and rather than fighting losing battles on the glass, head her coach Kevin McGuff, who’s always put the plague in her mode. deploys a lineup of her four guards who have been instructed to become One way to mitigate the problem of rebounding fights is to prevent other teams from crossing the court.
Ohio has more to score than that, but Plague Mode buys them an easy bucket in transition. There’s maturity. The Louisville game featured Mikrasikova and three 20-point scorers, including fifth-grader Taylor Mikesell, one of the best three-point shooters in college basketball last season. If there’s one player who best embodies the team, it’s probably 5-foot-10-inch senior guard Jaycee Sheldon. list of my favorite playersSheldon drives with a rare blend of power and finesse. She’s a great athlete, but she rarely looks out of control. I used to think of her like a kind of running back. You can recognize a piece of space where she can speed up and get to the rim, where she shows off some new cunning finishes.
Yes, Ohio State’s outlandish steal numbers cool off in conference play, where four other top 25 opponents await them. As defense goes, this isn’t particularly innovative or sophisticated. The answer to press defense exists and perhaps Ohio State will face a point guard who knows how to pass and dribble without melting. is all about becoming a college basketball player. And being a college basketball player is always about being on the verge of melting. It may be, but it’s decent proof that the Ohio State press can work against a good team. However, the pressure crushed him and he recorded 29 turnovers. (The Ohio State University student section stormed the court after the win, charmingly. Mikesell said.)
flat Unflappable Junior Hayley Van Ris She passed the ball more than eight times against Ohio State on Wednesday. This is the most times she has had in a college game. “There were a lot of frustrating mistakes,” said Louisville head coach Jeff Waltz afterwards. Buckeyes may not irritate everyone. But they can irritate many of them. The hardest part of this system, really, is finding the energy to keep it running. No problem.
