For four Buckeyes, its another chance to play in front of a friendly crowd before college basketball comes to an end.
It was touch-and-go for Ohio State women’s basketball over the final month of the season. The Buckeyes landed at No. 14 in the NCAA Tournament committee’s top-16 rankings, the list showing which teams were predicted to host the first two rounds of March Madness.
From there, losses away at Indiana, Maryland and a lopsided defeat to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament meant the Buckeyes were close to slipping into a No. 5 seed, meaning travel throughout the entirety of the annual tournament.
All of those worries washed away near the 30-minute mark of Sunday’s Selection Show, listing the entire 68-team field, when the Buckeyes earned a No. 4 seed and host duties for rounds one and two of March Madness.
The benefits of sleeping in your own bed, not eating hotel breakfasts and avoiding air travel are great, but for four players on the roster it means at least one more chance to play in front of a friendly crowd.
Ohio State has four players in their final year of eligibility in scarlet and gray. None of them with more program history than point guard Madison Greene.
The Pickerington, Ohio graduate grew up in the circle that surrounds Columbus and joined the Buckeyes before the 2019-20 season. Greene was not a highly touted prospect like top-100 guard Jacy Sheldon but head coach Kevin McGuff saw in Greene the ability to win, a characteristic that carried the guard through a lot.
Greene tore her ACL twice, missing a full season and nearly a half. Both injuries sidelined the promising Ohio State guard who started 36 games in her first two seasons.
Since her second tear during the 22-23 season, Greene became a veteran leader off the bench, even starting four games this season when freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge suffered an injury.
Coach McGuff put Greene in every game so far this season, which no other substitute can say on the 10-player active roster. Now, Greene gets another chance to play in front of a pro-Ohio State crowd at the Schottenstein Center this Friday.
“I was kind of sad that when we played the last time on our home court, it could have been my last time,” said Greene.
Now Greene can hold off the sadness for at least 40 more minutes when the Montana State Bobcats head to Columbus for a first round matchup, and Ohio State is going to need the guard.
When Greene comes into games, the guard provides stability and calm in an Ohio State attack where those words are not commonly attributed. Greene is not the strongest offensive threat for scoring compared to Cambridge or junior forward Cotie McMahon, but has big moments under her belt.
Against the Maryland Terrapins on the final day of the regular season, it was Greene who kept the Buckeyes’ hopes alive in overtime when the guard nearly went to the ground but maintained her dribble to hit a layup in overtime.
Also, Greene began playing not only in place of Cambridge but alongside the freshman. Greene gives Cambridge the opportunity to turn into a pure scorer instead of also needing to facilitate the offense while Greene keeps possession and runs Ohio State’s offensive set, something she knows well after six years in the program.
“It’s super exciting just to get that foresee to be able to host a host again like we did last year,” said Greene.
Greene is not alone in getting another chance to play on a familiar court. Forwards Taylor Thierry, Eboni Walker and Ajae Petty each get the same opportunity.
For Petty, who is finishing her lone season as a Buckeye, it is another chance to cement a legacy, albeit a brief one, with Ohio State. Help the Scarlet and Gray potentially win two games and it’s a trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Walker and Thierry have a closer situation to Greene when it comes to sad farewells. Walker is in her third season as a Buckeye following one year at Arizona State and a redshirt season with the Syracuse Orange in 21-22. Despite playing mostly a bench role over the past two seasons, Walker is a fan favorite.
When Walker’s name is announced at the scorer’s table, the applause rivals the likes of forward Cotie McMahon or the reaction for the now-WNBA playing Sheldon.
During the 2022-23 season, Walker had her hand in NCAA magic when she saved a broken play that ended with an assist to Sheldon, who hit a game-winning shot in the Second Round against the UNC Tar Heels.
Thierry is a different story, as she is a rare feat in today’s college basketball world. Thierry joined the Buckeyes, played four seasons without transfer or redshirt injury and finishes her NCAA career, unless she opts to do a graduate transfer.
The forward came into Ohio State a quiet freshman, making key plays early in her freshman season off the bench and earning more minutes as the season progressed. Thierry ends her career as a National Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist, a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and one of the most athletic players to play under McGuff in his 12 years running the program.
No matter what happens now, this weekend is the final time any of the four suit up for the Buckeyes at home. With that said, Ohio State hopes to play beyond this weekend and avoid an upset in Columbus like last year’s Second Round defeat to the Duke Blue Devils. Greene learned lessons from last season that she carries into Friday.
“Just not to take any game like how you have for granted,” said Greene. “And just make sure that we come in every game prepared and ready and motivated no matter who we’re playing.”