OSU men surge into March Madness as women eye deep run
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

Star sophomore Jaloni Cambridge leads the Ohio State women into March Madness. Photo: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
It's tournament time, and Ohio State is sending both its men's and women's teams to March Madness.
Why it matters: Whether you're building brackets or just cheering for the home team, here's a quick guide as the Buckeyes' postseason runs begin.
The women
The men are happy to be here — the women can make a Final Four run.
Catch up quick: The Buckeye women (26-7) have been solid all season long, earning a No. 3 seed with multiple ranked wins and losses only to ranked teams.
- OSU generated the 12th-best scoring offense in the country.
- An emphasis on swarming defense and creating turnovers forced the 16th-most steals in the country.
⭐️ The star: Sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge is a superstar, scoring nearly 23 points per game (seventh in the nation) and earning a variety of honors.
Between the lines: The program has been consistently competitive for decades, but has lost in the second round two years in a row and hasn't made a Final Four since 1993.
- They've reached seven Sweet Sixteens since.
📺 Watch: OSU hosts No. 14 seed Howard at home in the first Saturday game of the day.
- Tipoff is 11:30am on ESPN2 and streaming.
- As of Wednesday, the Buckeyes are a 39.5-point favorite.
📆 What's next: A win would potentially set up a massive matchup with No. 6 seed Notre Dame on Monday.

The men
A month ago, it wasn't clear the men's team would even make the NCAA tournament — but they've peaked at the right time.
Catch up quick: After a tumultuous January and February, the Buckeyes won four of five March games to claw their way to 21-12 and a No. 8 seed.
- With a streaky scoring record, they'll need to be efficient and make shots to advance.
- The roster has a mix of experience and youth that only recently has started to gel.
⭐️ The star: Senior captain Bruce Thornton is the Buckeyes' undisputed leader.
- He became the program's all-time leading scorer this year, averaging 20 points per game and leading the team in assists.
Between the lines: The Buckeyes played one of the hardest schedules in the country, and most of their losses came against very strong teams.
- After missing out last year, head coach Jake Diebler's first tournament appearance shows progress.
📺 Watch: OSU plays No. 9 seed TCU to kick off the first round in Greenville, South Carolina.
- Tipoff is 12:15pm Thursday on CBS and streaming.
- As of Wednesday, the Buckeyes are a 2.5-point favorite.
📆 What's next: With a win, they'll likely face No. 1 seed Duke Saturday in the round of 32.
Sign up for our free men's and women's bracket challenges to win Axios swag — if asked, the password is "Axios" without quotation marks. Get your picks in by the first game of each tournament.
