OSU men surge into March Madness as women eye deep run
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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.