COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State women’s basketball team is ranked No. 2 in the country, according to the Associated Press poll, which is the team’s highest ranking in the history of the program.
Victoria and Anthony Taylor have been fans of the OSU women’s basketball team for years. Their first game was in the early 2000s, when their cousin was playing for the Buckeyes.
They got hooked to the pace and flow of the game, and have been season ticket holders for almost two decades. Now, they get to witness history as this week’s AP poll moved Ohio State up to No. 2 in the country.
Fans and players attribute the success to compatibility and hard work.
“There are some female athletes at Ohio State who are really good players, and they’re good friends,” said Anthony. “They look like they just enjoy being around each other a lot.”
The women have played an undefeated season so far, going 18-0. According to guard Taylor Thierry, the team has been able to refine their skills and rely on each other rather than just a few players, which has been integral in the team adapting to injuries.
“We’re able to play multiple positions and adapt to different, you know, changes that happen on the team and that kind of just shows how well we work with each other and we’re able to fulfill different roles on the team,” said Thierry. “That’s what’s helped us win, despite having injuries.”
Coach Kevin McGuff’s coaching style is refreshing to fans like the Taylors. He runs plays that allow spacing on offense and collaboration on defense.
“We’ve won in different ways, especially of late, with some of the injuries we’ve had, we’ve had to win differently at times,” said McGuff. “So that’s an encouraging sign to know, you know, just the game is going a certain way. We can make some adjustments and still put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
Anthony said that this team’s talent, consistency and teamwork is what makes them truly special. “They don’t panic and they just keep pressing on. That’s been the real difference a lot of times in previous years,” said Anthony.
The team will host Northwestern on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. McGuff said that practice will be key in facing the Wildcats’ top ranked defense and that they’re just taking it one game at a time.
