Moments after Ohio State’s 71-51 win over Montana State Friday night, junior forward Cotie McMahon was adamant she didn’t care who Ohio State’s next opponent would be.
“I don’t care,” McMahon told BSB on Friday when asked who she’d rather play between No. 5 seed Tennessee and No. 12 seed South Florida. “Whoever’s next we’re going to play them.”
By the time of the second quarter of the contest between USF and Tennessee, it became obvious who the Buckeyes’ opponent would be. The Volunteers, who will square off against Ohio State at 8 p.m. on Sunday on ESPN, dominated the second quarter 29-9 on the way to a dominant 101-66 win on Friday.
Despite coming into the NCAA tournament on a bit of a cold streak, having lost three of their last four games, Tennessee showed what it is capable of in the regular season with an 80-76 win over UConn on Feb. 6.
The Volunteers, who rank No. 2 in the country in scoring offense, played up to their full potential in the upset win over the Huskies and are the only team to score 80 points in a single game against UConn all season.
The Volunteers were similarly impressive in their first-round NCAA tournament game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range to score more than 100 points for the seventh time this season.
After watching Tennessee’s first-round performance, head coach Kevin McGuff knows his Buckeyes have their work cut out for them.
“They played great yesterday,” McGuff said during a media availability on Sunday. “I was really impressed watching them live. We know we have our hands full. Obviously we have to get back in transition and guard them and try to challenge them at the three-point line. They made 16 (three-pointers) yesterday. That will be a huge part of the game.”
Like Ohio State, Tennessee isn’t a team with just one dynamic scorer. All five of the Volunteers’ starters average at least 10 points per game. Additionally, the Volunteers have 10 players who play at least 13 minutes a game. The Volunteers’ depth according to McMahon, allows them to play with energy on the court.
“I think (their conditioning) is very crucial, not only because it’s March Madness, but also they sub five and five,” junior forward Cotie McMahon said. “As soon as the one five gets tired, there’s another five coming in. So it’s like fresh legs. They always have fresh legs. I feel like for us, we are used to having to play tired. We don’t sub five and five. So we have had to grind it out through tiredness and through exhaustion. So I feel like that’s what’s prepared us for this moment, for this game specifically and March Madness in general.”
The Volunteers’ depth is especially important considering their employment of the full-court pressure. Tennessee’s pressure has been one of the best in the country, as the team has forced 22.41 turnovers, which is the ninth-most in the country. Also known for its full-court pressure, Ohio State’s 22.19 turnovers forced per game are the 10th most in the country. According to McGuff, the similar styles of the two teams should make for an entertaining contest.
“Yeah, it’s going to probably be somewhat entertaining,” McGuff said about the matchup between Ohio State and Tennessee. “Their team is built for it. They have got a lot of depth and they have a lot of athleticism and they have a lot of length, and so they are difficult from that standpoint to play against. And so we know, one, we are going to have to stay extremely organized against the press; when we do break it, make really good decisions at the back end of it.”
On paper, the Buckeyes and Volunteers seem about as evenly matched as possible. Win or loss though, the one certainty for the Buckeyes is their game against the Volunteers will be their last in Value City Arena this season.
“It’s a big day tomorrow especially for me since I’ve been here six years and I know it is for (graduate forward Eboni Walker), she’s been here a little less. But for all the seniors here, this game means a lot,” Graduate guard Madison Greene said. “It’s win-or-go-home and we need to come out there tomorrow and just give it our all, and just have fun at the end of the day.”
