No. 2 Ohio State readies for Northwestern with No. 10 Iowa, No. 6 Indiana on horizon
Like nearly every coach, Kevin McGuff is emphatic about keeping his team's attention on the next game on the schedule. If McGuff has his way, the No. 2 Ohio State women's basketball team's entire focus will be on Thursday's game against Northwestern, with no thoughts about what's coming after.
Looming for Ohio State (18-0, 7-0) are marquee matchups against No. 10 Iowa on Jan. 23 and No. 6 Indiana on Jan. 26.
But first, the Buckeyes must finish up a string of four games against teams ranked outside the top 25 of the AP poll – Illinois, who the Buckeyes beat 87-81 earlier this month, has since moved up to No. 21 but was unranked at the time of their Jan. 8 game.
On paper, Northwestern, which enters Thursday at 6-11 overall and 0-7 in the Big Ten, won't present the same level of challenge as the Hawkeyes or Hoosiers, so McGuff has re-emphasized the importance of focusing on just the next game.
"The Big Ten is as good as any league in the country in women’s basketball," McGuff said. "We know we’ve got some really tough games ahead. To start with Northwestern, they’re really hard to play against because they have one of the best zone defenses in the country."
Ohio State rolled over Northwestern in the teams' first meeting Dec. 28, 81-48 in Evanston behind freshman forward Cotie McMahon's 24 points. The Buckeyes were initially challenged by the Wildcats' zone, and OSU led by just nine points at halftime. Ohio State went on to shoot 55.2% in the second half to pull away while holding Northwestern to 27.4% shooting for the game.
There is the slight potential for Thursday to be the proverbial trap game, if the Buckeyes are caught looking ahead. but the disparate talent levels between the two will more than likely prevent any possible upset, and McGuff's strict messaging to his team about their focus is designed to ensure Ohio State doesn't get caught off guard.
"I feel like (the key is) moving on from the next game and staying the course," McMahon said. "It’s obviously great to be 18-0, but that’s not our focus. Our focus is to win the next game and do what we do. That’s really just the focus. The record will take care of itself."
Get more Ohio State news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State focused on Northwestern before top-10 matchups
