Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (25-6, 11-5)
Ohio State parlayed their run to the Elite Eight in 2011 into a great start to the 2011-2012 campaign. The schedule was certainly not easy and the Buckeyes managed to finish up the non-conference slate with a perfect record. The grind of the Big Ten has proven to be a little more troublesome, but this is one of the best offenses in the nation and Coach Jim Foster will find a way to score points against any opponent.
Big Wins: 11/27 LSU (77-68), 12/4 at Oklahoma (69-63), 2/12 Purdue (80-71)
Bad Losses: 1/7 at Michigan (62-73), 1/29 at Minnesota (65-76), 2/9 at Illinois (65-66)
Coach: Jim Foster (10 seasons at Ohio State)
Why They Can Surprise:
Tayler Hill and Samantha Prahalis are two of the best scorers around. Hill is a pure scorer who has one of the best shooting strokes you will see in March. She has knocked down 41.6 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc this season, but she is more than just a shooter. Hill will use her size and quickness to attack the basket and she usually ends up with a couple points or a trip to the charity stripe. Prahalis, a 5-7 senior, is the leader on the floor. The point guard dishes out a ton of assists and rarely turns the ball over. However, she is not opposed to taking some shots herself. Prahalis is not as good of a shooter as Hill, but she will still knock down a couple three-pointers per game and do plenty of damage inside the arc. With Amber Stokes joining Hill and Prahalis in the starting lineup and Raven Ferguson available off of the bench, Ohio State has some more players who deserve attention from the opposition.
Why They Can Disappoint:
It was in the frontcourt where there were some questions heading into the 2011-2012 campaign, but this group really stepped up and has had a superb season. Freshman Kalpana Beach earned a starting role and can do some dirty work in the paint. Sophomore Ashley Adams is a decent interior scorer, but most of her highlights will come from blocking shots. Fellow sophomores Martina Ellerbe and Darryce Moore will not put up big numbers, but at least OSU has some bodies they can throw out there to play defense. However, this is a very young group in the frontcourt and their inexperience will become more obvious during the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament. By the numbers the frontcourt is solid in most areas, except rebounding. On a team that has size everywhere on the floor, they should be able to out-rebound most opponents, but they rarely do.
Probable Starters:
Samantha Prahalis, Senior, Guard, 20.1 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.2 rpg
Tayler Hill, Junior, Guard, 20.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 spg
Amber Stokes, Junior, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 1.9 apg
Kalpana Beach, Freshman, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Ashley Adams, Sophomore, Center, 6.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Martina Ellerbe, Sophomore, Forward, 1.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Raven Ferguson, Freshman, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Darryce Moore, Sophomore, Center, 5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.2 (8th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.6 (195, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.6 (7, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.9 (134, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.6 (97, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.9 (9, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.7 (29, 4)
Rebound Margin: -0.8 (191, 9)
Assists Per Game: 16.1 (21, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.8 (15, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over UCF
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
Ohio State 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
Ohio State 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Francis (PA)
Ohio State 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Mississippi State
Ohio State 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Sacred Heart
Ohio State 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Mississippi State
Ohio State 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Stanford
Ohio State 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Florida State
Ohio State 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Marist
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
