Last March, No. 19 Ohio State visited College Park and fought tightly with No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball, knotting the score at 90 with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
But Sarah Te-Biasu rushed up the court and released a floater that beat the Buckeyes and sparked a run to the Sweet 16.
Heading into Sunday’s match, much has changed. Both rosters faced turnover, but it will still be a highly contested matchup.
The Terps and Buckeyes will tip off at 4 p.m. from Xfinity Center and will stream
on Peacock.
No. 19 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
2024-25 record: 26-7, 13-5 Big Ten
Head coach Kevin McGuff is in his 13th season with the program and has led the Buckeyes to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, going as far as the Elite Eight. Last season, McGuff led Ohio State to the Round of 32, where it fell to Tennessee.
Ohio State heads into Sunday with two losses, both to top teams — No. 1 UConn and No. 4 UCLA. The Buckeyes have one ranked win — over then-No. 21 West Virginia — and will look to get their second on Sunday.
In contrast to Maryland, the Buckeyes beat Illinois in Champaign on Wednesday — the Terps lost their only contest of the season to the Illini.
Players to watch
Jaloni Cambridge, sophomore guard, 5-foot-7, No. 22 — Cambridge is in her second season with the Buckeyes and has become their primary option this season. She is averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists this season. She notched a staggering 41 points in the team’s last game against Illinois, shooting 15-of-25 (60%) from the field. Last season, she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was selected to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and second team by the media.
Chance Gray, senior guard, 5-foot-9, No. 2 — Gray is in her second season with Ohio State after transferring from Oregon. She ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting 43.5% from the field. She also averages 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season. Last season, she averaged 12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She tied her season high of 18 points in Ohio State’s last game against Illinois.
Kylee Kitts, redshirt freshman guard/forward, 6-foot-4, No. 1 — Kitts is in her first season with Ohio State after redshirting last season with Florida. This season, she leads the Buckeyes on the boards, averaging 7.3 per game. She is also third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per game. She has been an overall impactful piece, adding size to Ohio State’s lineup.
Strength
Steals and blocks. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in steals and are second in the conference in blocks this season. Ohio State accumulates 13.6 steals per game and forces 23.8 turnovers per game. Comparatively, their opponents have averaged 6.1 steals per game, while the Terps average 11.4 — good for fifth-best in the conference. The Buckeyes also average 5.1 blocks per game, compared to their opponents who average just three per game.
Weakness
Three-point shooting. The Buckeyes are the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the Big Ten, shooting 28.4% from deep this season. Ohio State averages only 6.7 made 3-pointers per game. On Thursday, the Terps made a season-high 16 shots from beyond the arc, and if they replicate that showing Sunday, it could be difficult for the Buckeyes to maintain pace.
Three things to watch
1. Okananwa is nine away from 1,000. Oluchi Okananwa entered Thursday’s game at Rutgers needing 19 points to reach 1,000 career points. She failed to reach that mark, falling nine points short. The junior guard averages 16.8 points per game this season and could reach that milestone on Sunday.
2. Will the shooting shift continue? The Terps made 16 3-pointers on Thursday, good for their second most ever in a Big Ten game and six more than any other game this season. With Yarden Garzon shooting a perfect 6-of-6 and Rainey Welson shooting a season-best 4-of-8, Maryland will look to ride that wave into Sunday’s matchup.
3. Entering the Dark Side. Sunday marks the start of a stretch where Maryland will face five consecutive ranked opponents: No. 19 Ohio State, No. 21 USC, No. 4 UCLA, No. 14 Iowa and No. 23 Washington. Sunday is also Maryland’s annual blackout game, and it will have a Star Wars Dark Side theme. The Terps will look to have the force with them entering the toughest stretch of their season.
