Following a successful 2022-23 campaign where they finished with a 28-8 record and reached the Elite Eight for the first time in three decades, the Ohio State women’s basketball is once again expected to be among the nation’s elite, entering the season ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released on Tuesday. The Buckeyes sit behind No. 1 LSU, No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 6 South Carolina.
This marks the Buckeyes’ highest preseason ranking since 2017, when the team opened the season at No. 5. It is also the fourth-consecutive year where they opened the season ranked within the AP top 25, as well as the 27th-straight week they find their name in the polls.
Ohio State is also one of five Big Ten teams ranked within the preseason top 25, joining Iowa, No. 9 Indiana, No. 14 Maryland and No. 23 Illinois.
Led by 11-year head coach Kevin McGuff, the Buckeyes will enter the season looking to build upon last year and reach the NCAA Final Four for the first time since the 1992-93 season, where they fell to Texas Tech in the national championship game. While the Buckeyes lost leading scorer Taylor Mikesell to the WNBA Draft, they reclaim several key contributors from last season, including preseason All-Big Ten selections Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon along with veterans Taylor Thierry, Rikki Harris, Madison Greene and Rebeka Mikulášiková, among others.
They also welcome the talents of graduate guard and Duke transfer Celeste Taylor, who claimed the 2022-23 ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, along with graduate forward and Michigan State transfer Taiyier Parks, who recorded 7.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and just over one steal per game in her four years as a Spartan.
Ohio State will open its season on Nov. 6 when they take on No. 21 USC in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. The game is slated to tip off at 2 p.m. and air on TruTV.
