No. 6 Indiana Women's Basketball to Face No. 2 Ohio State for Top Spot in Big Ten

Thursday night, No. 6 Indiana will face No. 2 Ohio State inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in a great battle for the top spot in the Big Ten. Even without two of its key players, the Buckeyes are managing to win all their games but one and will arrive in Bloomington ready to avenge their two losses to the Hoosiers from last season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The top two teams in the Big Ten No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Indiana will battle it out on the hardwood Thursday night for the top spot in the conference.

Both teams (along with Iowa) hold an 8-1 conference record and have been in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll all season as the Big's best teams.

Ohio State's No. 2 rank is a tremendous honor given the Buckeyes are without two of its key players in junior guard Madison Greene out with a season-ending left knee injury and senior guard Jacy Sheldon out with a lower right leg injury.

Greene has been out since the fourth quarter of Ohio State's win over South Florida on Dec. 20, and Sheldon hasn't played since Nov. 30 and is considered week-to-week.

"I think what we've watched them do is play really good basketball without Jacy Sheldon, who's a First-Team All-Big Ten kid, and win games," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said.

Senior guard Taylor Mikesell has been picking up the slack as she's the team's leading scorer with 18.2 points per game. She's one of six Buckeyes, including the injured Greene and Sheldon, averaging double-figure scoring as the team shoots 47.9 percent from the field.

"Cotie McMahon who's a freshman — she's a freight train," Moren said. "She's really helped them. (Taylor) Thierry has improved. She's gotten so much better than she was a year ago. They've all stepped up kind of like we had to when Grace went out."

With that many players stuffing the stat sheet, it's no shock Ohio State has the second best offense in the league posting 85.6 points per contest. Indiana follows one spot behind with 81.8 points per game.

As for the defense, Indiana still tops the conference limiting its opponents to 59.8 points per game while Ohio State rolls in at No. 5 holding its competition to 64 points.

"Their press is what ignites them," Moren said. "It's what gets them going. Not to take anything away from them defensively, but I think their press is what they rely on to get those turnovers, to get those layups. They're not as interested in the half court. Once you get it into the half court, their pressure isn't what it is in the full court."

The Buckeyes will be entering the match with some motivation after losing their first game of the season 83-72 to Iowa at home on Monday. Ohio State totaled three players in double-figure scoring but their 38 percent from the field wouldn't cut it.

"This is a very dangerous team and especially dangerous coming off of a loss at home to an Iowa team," Moren said.

Ohio State leads the series over Indiana 60-24, but last season the Hoosiers swept the Buckeyes both in the regular season and in the Big Ten Tournament when Indiana upset the top-seeded team in the semifinals.

This year, it seems like the stakes have gotten higher and the teams have gotten better as Hoosier senior forward Mackenzie Holmes leads four double-figure scoring players with 21.9 points per contest. She also crashes the boards with a team-high 8.3 rebounds.

The team is shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from the three-point line but are going to need more than just made shots to take down a No. 2 team.

Moren said she hopes students will make the snowy walk from their dorms to the Hall to support their Hoosiers, because they're going to need it especially if other travelers are staying home due to inclement weather. It does help that tipoff is later in the day, so hopefully the snow will melt away.

"If I could get ahold of a whole bunch of university buses I would go around picking people up cause I think that's what it's going to require," Moren said.

The Hoosiers are riding on their best start to the season with an 18-1 overall record and look to keep it up in perhaps the most difficult challenge of the season.

"I think this particular season, the 2022-23 season, that the Big Ten conference is the very best in women's basketball," Moren said.

"In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. If you want to win championships, you got to win all of them or dang near all of them."

How to Watch Ohio State vs. Indiana

• Who: No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-1)(8-1) vs. No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers (18-1)(8-1)
• When: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall — Bloomington, Ind. 
• Broadcast: BTN
• Radio: WHCC 105.1

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• SARA SCALIA'S SHOOTING SLUMP IS GONE Indiana women's basketball senior guard Sara Scalia entered a bit of a scoring drought in late December, but with the encouragement of her Hoosiers, high basketball IQ and strong defensive game, Scalia snapped her slump with a 19-point performance versus No. 13 Michigan on Monday. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIERS NEEDED LILLY MEISTER Freshman forward Lilly Meister took over for senior forward Mackenzie Holmes when she got into foul trouble in the fourth quarter versus Michigan on Monday. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said Meister did great, and the team needed her in that moment. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA DEFEATS NO. 13 MICHIGAN ON THE ROAD The No. 6-ranked Indiana women's basketball team defeated No. 13 Michigan on the road as six Hoosiers scored in double figures and the team improved to a program best 18-1 start to the season. CLICK HERE