Ohio State Buckeyes Announce Conference Opponents

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a stacked slate ahead of them next season.

Cotie McMahon is the leading returner for the Buckeyes this season. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Buckeyes will face four new teams in the Big Ten next season.

Ohio State announced its conference opponents and locations for the 2024-25 season Tuesday.

🚨 B1G announcement! 🚨 Here are the 2024-25 Big Ten home & away opponents!

🔗: https://t.co/djawDOeVSh#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/40IkCpQpvT

— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) May 7, 2024

The Buckeyes will face Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland and the newly added Washington and Oregon at home.

They will travel to Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, UCLA and USC.

Despite playing all Big Ten East teams both at home and on the road, with now-17 conference opponents, the Buckeyes will only face Maryland twice.

McGuff's squad had a chance to go toe-to-toe with both UCLA and USC in non-conference matchups a season ago, dropping both in the first half of the season. This year, the Buckeyes are not returning their star backcourt of Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor — but the Trojans added guard Taliah von Oelhoffen to tag along with Associated Press First-Team All American Juju Watkins, as well as Stanford big Kiki Iriafen to help forward Rayah Marshall in the frontcourt.

Taylor Thierry has been a rebounding machine on both ends of the floor for the Buckeyes. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

With roughly 1,500 players entering the transfer portal nationally this offseason, the Big Ten will have a different outlook both physically and geographically. Despite the Buckeyes losing three players to the portal — Diana Collins, Emma Shumate, and Rikki Harris — McGuff added Oregon guard Chance Gray and Kentucky big Ajae Petty himself.

In addition, Ohio State will be bringing in 91-overall-plus recruits in forward Ella Hobbs and guards Ava Watson and Jaloni Cambridge to help Gray in the backcourt.

Most notably, the Buckeyes will be returning forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry to lead the pack in a new-look conference next season.