OSU WOMEN
Ohio State earning a top-four seed means that St. John Arena will host Ohio State (27-6) as far as the second round.
With a win Saturday, Ohio State would play the winner of No. 11 seed Central Michigan and No. 6 seed LSU in the round of 32 on Monday.
“Just excited to be playing at home. We’re gonna have a great following on Saturday for our game,” coach Kevin McGuff said. “We have a great opponent in George Washington. They’ve had an outstanding season. Jen Rizzotti is a terrific basketball coach, and she’ll have her team well-prepared.”
The Buckeyes teetered last season on the edge of hosting and traveling, only to earn a No. 5 seed and travel to Kentucky for their opening weekend. This season, Ohio State was the No. 13 overall seed in the final top-16 seed reveal last month and then won its final seven games leading into the NCAA Tournament, earning Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.
Most NCAA Tournament projections placed Ohio State on the No. 3-seed line heading into Selection Monday. There were plenty of cheers in the Block O Lounge in Value City Arena on Monday but no noticeable looks of surprise.
“I thought we’d be a three seed,” McGuff said. “I thought we got treated fairly for the season we’ve had to this point. Now we have an opponent, we have a path, and it’s up to us to embrace it, have a great week of practice and get ready to go this weekend.”
The mood surrounding Ohio State’s selection was noticeably different this season from a year ago. Ohio State’s 2017 Big Ten tournament ended with a loss to Purdue in the semifinal round; this iteration of the Buckeyes is a month and a day separated from its most recent loss.
“It’s more positivity in the air,” redshirt senior guard Linnae Harper said. “Last year, it was kind of tough losing and then coming back. But winning the Big Ten conference, then winning the tournament, and now getting a chance to host, I think it’s a great feeling.
An experienced, senior-laden team has heard the narrative before, and, yes, Ohio State players are aware the 2018 Final Four will be played in Columbus. They reiterated Monday night that they can’t focus on that destination just yet, not in a region that includes teams such as Oregon and Notre Dame.
But even if the Buckeyes aren’t fixated on Nationwide Arena, that doesn’t mean they haven’t at least thought about it.
“You’re not human if you don’t think about it. I don’t care who you are. If you’re not thinking about it, you’re crazy,” senior guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “But we try to stay in the moment with it, don’t try to think too far ahead. You want to win as much as possible and make a long run in the tournament, so that’s all that matters.”