Selection Sunday: Ohio State Women Clinch No. 2 Seed in NCAA Tournament

Originally posted on FanNation Buckeyes Now
By Gaurav Law | Last updated 3/18/24

The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially NCAA Tournament bound.

Despite a poor finish to the regular season, the Buckeyes have earned the No. 2 seed in the "Portland 1" region of the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State will begin their run in the annual event on Friday, March 22 against the No. 15-seed Maine Black Bears.

Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff and his squad won 15 games in a row over January and February, before dropping their only regular-season game against Iowa on March 3. In that contest,

Hawkeyes senior guard and projected No. 1-overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark broke the record for most all-time points scored in NCAA history (men's or women's).

Ohio State was the heavy favorite entering the 2024 Big Ten Conference Tournament, but found themselves heading home much earlier than expected. The Buckeyes suffered their worst loss of the season on March 8, falling by 21 points against the No. 8-seed Maryland Terrapins.

This recent stretch of struggles gives the Buckeyes something for which to play in the so-called "Big Dance": a chance to wash the bad taste from their mouths.

One of the first keys to the Buckeyes making the most of their NCAA Tournament run is their dominant backcourt.

The guard duo of graduate Jacy Sheldon (a Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist) and sophomore Celeste Taylor (a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist) is one of the best in the country.

Other big names on which the Buckeyes will have to lean are sophomore forward Cotie McMahon (who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors earlier this year) and senior forward Rebekka Mikulasikova.

Ohio State tips off against Maine at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, March 22.

This article first appeared on FanNation Buckeyes Now and was syndicated with permission.

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