How the Big Ten title is putting Cotie McMahon on track to build a legacy at Ohio State
Sharing is not winning, at least not in the eyes of Cotie McMahon.
Despite the fact Ohio State technically won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title on Sunday after defeating Maryland, the Buckeyes opted to bet on themselves and held off on celebrating until they won the title outright.
"I don't like sharing and neither does this team actually," McMahon said. "That's not a win. ... But it felt good to have it just the Ohio State."
When Ohio State beat Michigan 67-51 on Wednesday at Value City Arena to secure the outright title, the Buckeyes proved that their confidence was well placed. What made the moment even more special was it happened on their home court.
Each player got the chance to cut down a piece of the net, and when McMahon stepped to the ladder, admittedly unsure of how to cut the net before doing it, she was able to reflect on how far her team had come to get to this point.
The last time Ohio State had gone up against the Wolverines, the result was OSU's third loss of the season. In Ann Arbor on Dec. 30, the Buckeyes were not where they needed to be to compete for the conference title.
"The first time we played them, we just weren't at our potential," McMahon said.
McMahon in particular, had hit a sophomore slump towards the end of December. Held to 5 points and no rebounds by the Wolverines, it was just one of a string of outings where she looked little like the Big Ten Freshman of the Year who had scored 23 points against UConn to advance the Buckeyes to the Elite Eight the previous season.
But Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said he saw something different in the sophomore starter in early January. Something clicked, and her growth has continued ever since.
"She's really locked in," McGuff said. "She's practicing really hard with great intensity and focus, and she always practices hard, but I think her intensity and focus are a little bit better placed, and it's really carrying over to the court."
That was especially true on Jan. 21, when McMahon put up 33 points in the Buckeyes' upset win over Iowa.
That victory is part of Ohio State's 15-game winning streak, a streak that continued Wednesday. In the Buckeyes' second outing against the Wolverines this season, McMahon surpassed her totals from the previous meeting before the end of the first quarter, finishing the game with 18 points and seven rebounds. With one game remaining in the regular season, the sophomore is averaging 14.3 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds.
"When she plays that hard, that aggressively within the system," McGuff said. "She's one of the best players in the country.”
Her contributions in her first two years have helped McMahon build a fairly remarkable resume on a team that's building a remarkable record.
"It doesn't stop here," McMahon said. "I have two years to kind of grow with this team and the teams coming in. And then, we still have a whole other month of, basketball. ... I can accomplish so much more being a sophomore with this team, and it's crazy."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cotie McMahon is building a legacy with Ohio State women's basketball
