The preseason excitement for Ohio State’s season ramped up on Tuesday when it was slotted in at No. 14 in the women’s basketball Preseason Top 25 released by the Associated Press.
Powerhouses South Carolina and UConn headlined the Top 25 at No. 1 and No. 2, while West Coast Big Ten newcomers USC and UCLA were ranked at No. 3 and No. 5 and sandwiched Texas at No. 4.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Maryland, the team that upset Ohio State last year in the Big Ten Tournament, wasn’t far behind Ohio State at No. 17. Nebraska and Indiana also made the Top 25 at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively, to give the conference a total of six teams in the preseason rankings, tied in second with the ACC for the most teams in the poll and only one behind the SEC, which had seven teams.
Led by All-Big Ten forward Cotie McMahon, the Buckeyes are coming off a regular season Big Ten Championship and a subsequent appearance in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Ohio State will have to replace standouts like former leading scorer Jacy Sheldon and former All-Big Ten guard Celeste Taylor from 2023-24. The Buckeyes will be helped in doing so with newcomers like former Oregon guard Chance Gray and former five-star recruit Jaloni Cambridge.
