Ohio State ranked No. 14 in first AP women’s basketball poll

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Basketball season is approaching in Columbus and the Ohio State women’s team will once again be one to watch.

The Buckeyes have been ranked No. 14 in the 2024-25 preseason Associated Press poll, marking the fifth consecutive year Ohio State is nationally ranked to start a women’s college basketball season. Defending national champions South Carolina come in as the near unanimous No. 1 team while UConn, who be led by star guard Paige Bueckers, enter at No. 2.

The top-ranked Big Ten team is USC at No. 3 and they will be led by one of the top players in the nation Juju Watkins. No. 5 UCLA is the only other Big Ten team ranked ahead of the Buckeyes. No. 23 Nebraska and No. 25 Indiana are the last two ranked teams from the conference.

Associated Press Poll (Preseason)

Head coach Kevin McGuff will hope his squad can recreate the magical moments the Buckeyes have given fans the past two years. In 2022-23, Ohio State made its first run to the Elite Eight since 1993 that included an upset win over UConn in the regional semifinals.

Last season, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten regular season title which was highlighted by a 15-game winning streak. That winning streak included a thrilling 100-92 overtime win over No. 2 Iowa , who was led by now WNBA star Caitlin Clark, at the Schottenstein Center in front of a record crowd.

Ohio State’s postseason in 2024 was one to forget as they fell in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament before losing as a two-seed to seven-seed Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament . Among the stars not on the 2024-25 roster include guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor.

Junior forward Cotie McMahon will lead the Buckeyes this season alongside senior Taylor Thierry. Ohio State’s season opener will be on Nov. 5 against Cleveland State in Columbus at 6 p.m. Notable opponents include Stanford, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 3 USC.

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