The Ohio State women's basketball team came into this year with a bad taste in their mouth. After being upset at home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they were hoping to right those wrongs. Despite losing some significant pieces, the Buckeyes had a solid year.
They ended up finishing third in the Big Ten, finishing only behind USC and UCLA. Their resume was good enough to earn a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were able to dispatch Montana State pretty easily in round one. The second round saw Tennessee play the Buckeyes in the Schott.
Ohio State had the home-court advantage, but that didn't seem to help them. They actually had the lead after the first quarter, but couldn't sustain the success. They ended up being down big in the third quarter but used a 19-2 run to briefly take the lead. After that, it was a disaster.
The Ohio State women's basketball team falls to Tennessee
The Ohio State Buckeyes were only able to score eight points in a horrendous final quarter of play. They ended up losing 82-67. It was a disappointing finish to what was once a promising year. Instead, the Buckeyes at home to a lower seed for the second straight year.
Turnovers were the story of the game. Normally, Ohio State forced its opponent into a lot of turnovers. Instead, it was the Buckeyes who coughed up the ball. They had a whopping 23 turnovers compared to only 14 for the Vols. That's what cost the Buckeyes the game.
Ohio State only had two players score in double figures. Only Cotie McMahon and Jaloni Cambridge could do it. Cambridge was just 7-20 from the field, which really hurt Ohio State's chances. McMahon probably should have had the ball in her hands more.
Kevin McGuff needs to regroup in the offseason and figure out a way for his team to advance further in the NCAA Tournament, especially when they get home games.