The Ohio State Women’s Basketball Team huddles up during the Ohio State-Northern Kentucky Norse game on Dec. 6. Ohio State won 96-63. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes are on a roll again, just as the Big Ten regular season title race is heating up.
Behind an offensive explosion, No. 12 Ohio State (12-2, 8-2) cruised to a 83-59 win over Minnesota (5-9, 4-8) Sunday at the Schottenstein Center. The win puts the Buckeyes only one game back from the conference lead, chasing No. 7 Maryland for the Big Ten crown.
Ohio State’s offense is firing on all cylinders as they look forward to a mid-week brawl with the Wisconsin Badgers (4-13, 1-13) in Madison, Wisconsin.
With a rematch against No. 21 Northwestern looming, Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said that his team will not overlook the Badgers as they prepare for the matchup.
“Every team is good. Every team is well prepared. This is a tough road game. Every game is hard. There are just no easy games,” McGuff said. “I think we will be ready. I do think the biggest thing is just making sure that we have great focus when that thing gets tipped up tomorrow.”
Following back-to-back losses, Wisconsin comes into the game looking to build off of the recent offensive success of sophomore guard Sydney Hilliard and junior forward Imani Lewis.
Both Badgers bring top-25 Big Ten scoring tallies, with Hilliard averaging 17.2 points per game and Lewis averaging 14.2 points per game.
McGuff said the duo provides a different kind of challenge for the Buckeye defense.
“Sydney Hilliard and Imani Lewis are both great players so it gives them the versatility of a post player and a perimeter player,” McGuff said. “They can score in a lot of ways.”
Despite efforts from Hilliard and Lewis, Wisconsin is ranked No. 13 in the conference for scoring, averaging only 65.1 points per game.
Wisconsin is also often plagued by frequent turnovers with the worst turnover margin in the Big Ten, averaging a deficit of minus-6 per game.
McGuff said that his team looks to take advantage of Badger turnovers.
“Hopefully we can turn them over some and convert them into points,” McGuff said. “We are definitely looking to do that for sure.”
After being absent for the previous game, McGuff said that Rebeka Mikulasikova would most likely be able to play Wednesday.
Junior forward Dorka Juhasz was listed on the Naismith Midseason Player of the Year Watchlist Tuesday. The junior recorded her eighth double-double of the season in Sunday’s tilt against Minnesota.
Sophomore guard Hevynne Bristow said that Juhasz and her other teammates elevate their game through group leadership as they make the push for a regular season Big Ten title.
“As a group we all lead each other,” Bristow said. “[Juhasz] definitely just helps lead us by example. I feel like she gets her strength from all twelve of us and she gives us strength.”
The Buckeyes will take on the Badgers at Kohl Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
