Ohio State women’s basketball prepares for toughest road trip in college basketball

How the Buckeyes prepare to face the Bruins and Trojans in a cross country road trip.

Last season, Ohio State women’s basketball added the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to their non-conference schedule. It was part of the Buckeyes’ preparation for the new expanded Big Ten. After falling to both Los Angeles sides last season, a new-look Ohio State team heads to California for the toughest road trip in college basketball.

In the span of four days, the Scarlet and Gray play the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and No. 7 USC Trojans. The Bruins are the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I basketball, including a win over the reigning champions and former No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks, a win that snapped a 43-game winning streak.

Until USC fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday, they were No. 4 in the nation behind superstar guard JuJu Watkins, who leads the Big Ten with 24.7 points per game. So far this season, the Trojans beat the UConn Huskies, in Connecticut, and despite a surprise upset over the weekend, are still considered a top team in the country.

For Ohio State, the week is by far the toughest challenge the program will face in the regular season. So far, each ranked team defeated in the Big Ten, minus the Maryland Terrapins, are no longer ranked. That win against the Terrapins also didn’t include guards Shyanne Sellers or Bri McDaniel, leaving questions surrounding this edition of Ohio State’s big game ability.

It begins Wednesday, on the legendary basketball campus of UCLA.

Last season, the Buckeyes fell to UCLA 77-71, but the final score was much closer than the game appeared live. Ohio State outscored UCLA 26-14 in the fourth quarter to bring it to a two-possession margin of defeat, but at the start of the final period the Bruins had a 22-point lead.

UCLA center Lauren Betts led the way with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. The 6-foot-7 star was everything advertised, and this season she’s even more with Betts now hitting midrange shots and requiring more attention outside of the paint.

This season though, the Buckeyes brought in reinforcements around the rim with transfer forward Ajae Petty and freshman center Elsa Lemmilä. Even so, it’ll take more to slow down Betts.

“It’s going to have to be a team effort, obviously. They’re going to have to do their part and be physical and make her shoot tough shots over them,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “But we’re going to have to crowd her a little bit. She’s a great player. It’s a really hard matchup.”

Then there’s Ohio State’s skill on the wing. Last season, forward Cotie McMahon scored seven points against the Bruins, a rough night where the then sophomore’s main move of running to the basket was neutralized by Betts and company.

“For me it’s kind of personal. I was in a [slump] when we played UCLA,” said McMahon. I had. My outside shot was not developed at all so I was really struggling, honestly. So I’m really excited to kind of just have another chance at that.”

McMahon already eclipsed her total three-pointers made in a season with 18, breaking her previous record of 15 and that’s with eight regular season games to go, plus the postseason. The forward also hits turnaround midrange jumpers with ease, meaning that Ohio State needs all of the Ohioan’s shooting ability to overcome a tall task of beating the No. 1 team in the conference and nation.

When Saturday comes around, the Buckeyes have the Trojans, a side that will only be more motivated after falling to the unranked Hawkeyes. Ohio State opened up their 23-24 season against Watkins and the Trojans last season, where the then freshman star out of Los Angeles scored 33 points in her NCAA debut.

“USC, as a team, we just did not play good,” said McMahon. “But yeah, I’m excited because this is a whole new team, whole new pace, whole new, not new system but just the way we do things it’s just, it’s, it’s crazy. So I’m really excited.”

Another element is all the travel. The Buckeyes flew to the West Coast Monday night, practicing Tuesday and playing Wednesday.

The Buckeyes are trying to account for everything on the trip including downtime, sleep schedules and even regulating how much screen time each player has throughout the trip. McGuff’s program leaned heavily on the sports science department of the university to help build out a plan that limits the exhaustion of long distance travel and maximize their energy.

With so much focus on travel, it’s important to note that the Bruins and Trojans each take two East Coast trips throughout the season, while the Buckeyes take one. So that itself is an advantage in overall miles traveled throughout the conference calendar but it doesn’t make the Bruins or Trojans any easier.

So, does this week take maximum focus? Other sports mantras like giving all of your energy and leaving it all on the court? Possibly. For the Scarlet and Gray, they’re going to handle the trip like they do other road trips.

Freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge brought a new LEGO set to build. Elsa Lemmilä has her iPad and her favorite current show The Night Agent. McMahon has her own list of travel essentials.

“Snacks and then honestly, myself. I just like to annoy people on long flights so I don’t really need much, because I’ll just find something to do and usually annoy the staff up front or just make my rounds through the plane.”