Ohio State sports to check out with football on hiatus for the next month

Nov 29, 2022 - 2:31 PM

I decided to make a total 180 from my previous column and be optimistic. I want to try and find the good during this very rough time period in Ohio State sports. Therefore, instead of focusing on the football team’s loss, I am going to look forward to some other sports, and the big games they have coming up.

Women’s Basketball

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ICYMI, the women’s basketball team has been absolutely killing it this season. They are undefeated, with six wins thus far, and are currently ranked No. 4 in the nation in the AP Poll. They are right up there with UConn and South Carolina — the Buckeyes are legit.

They are a well-rounded team. The women average at least 10 steals per game, they’ve scored 100 points twice this season and the duo of Taylor Mikesell and Rebeka Mikulášiková have both scored in double figures in each of the Buckeyes’ first six games of the season.

Wednesday is the Buckeyes’ next marquee matchup, as they go on the road to face No. 10 Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. This will be their first big test since their season opener against Tennessee, so it is bound to be a good one. Flip back and forth between the women and the men on Wednesday night.

Men’s Basketball

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This team has been intriguing to watch since their very first game. It is a very new and young team, with just four returning players from last season. However, they have been finding a way to make it work — for the most part. Their first few games were a nice way to ease into the season and figure out how to play with each other.

Then, Maui happened. The Buckeyes lost their first game of the tournament to San Diego State, who at the time was ranked No. 17 in the country. However, I believe that Ohio State could have won that game, they just could not make enough stops on defense. Every single shot was going in for San Diego State, and the Buckeyes let it happen.

However, they bounced back to win their next two games against Cincinnati and a very good Texas Tech team, who was ranked No. 21. This win was definitely a confidence booster as they head to Durham to play No. 17 Duke on Wednesday night having now cracked the AP Top 25 at the No. 25 spot.

Women’s Volleyball

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

It is officially time to dance for the volleyball Bucks! The NCAA Tournament starts this week, and Ohio State, who was chosen to be a No. 3 seed, is slated to play Friday against Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the second round match Saturday. Since the Buckeyes are a No. 3 seed, they get to host for the first two rounds, so it’s nice they have home-court advantage.

They had a very solid regular season, going 19-9 overall and a 15-5 Big Ten record to tie for third in the conference. The women had a very tough schedule, including 15 matches against ranked opponents, 10 of which were against top-10 opponents. Ohio State faced every team from the 2021 Elite Eight, and notched eight ranked wins on the season.

These are just a few sports and games to look forward to from Ohio State now that football is off for the next month. Try and enjoy the holidays without stressing whether or not the Buckeyes will make the College Football Playoff. I know it won’t be easy.