What to expect as No. 8 Ohio State takes on Mackenzie Holmes and No. 10 Indiana
For the second time in less than a month, the Ohio State women's basketball team will attempt to take down a top-10 nationally ranked conference rival, and once again the anticipation is so high that the 300-level of Value City Arena will be open.
Defeating Iowa on their home court two weeks ago was a high point in the Buckeyes' season. Indiana may not have the nation's top scorer in Caitlin Clark, but the No. 10 Hoosiers still represent a big challenge.
While No. 8 Ohio State enters Sunday ahead in the rankings, Indiana is slightly ahead in the conference standings by virtue of its 18-2 overall record compared to the Buckeyes' record of 18-3. (Both teams are 9-1 in conference play.)
"Last year we lost three or four games in the Big Ten, and we didn't like that," OSU guard Rikki Harris said. "We know that Big Ten play wouldn’t be easy, so we've just been grinding hard to try to stay good."
Riding an eight-game winning streak, Ohio State has yet to face a post player the caliber of Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes in that stretch. The closest the Buckeyes have come is facing Wisconsin's Serah Williams, who nearly posted a double-double in the first half Thursday before being shut down in the second.
One thing Holmes has on Williams is experience. The 6-foot-3 Holmes is a graduate student who has faced the Buckeyes a number of times over the past five seasons.
"Honestly, she's just a great player," Ohio State forward Eboni Walker said. "Every game is different, too, so you can't play anybody the same, but she's a really smart player. So, I'm excited to get the chance to play against her again.”
History has shown that Holmes, who is averaging 20.5 points per game this season, can make or break the Ohio State-Indiana matchups.
In two regular-season games against the Buckeyes last year, the Hoosiers came out victorious and Holmes scored more than 25 points in each. In Ohio State's 79-75 Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana, she was limited to 12.
Any one of Ohio State post players Walker, Rebeka Mikulasikova and Taiyier Parks, might be tasked with containing Holmes, specifically if the Buckeyes have to abandon their press during the matchup.
"We all bring a little bit something different to the table," Walker said. "Every day we all play hard, and we have our own thing. ... So, we always go out there and do the best for each other and motivate each other every day. We are each other's biggest fans."
The chore of bottling up Holmes, though, is big enough to extend beyond Ohio State's bigs.
"The post is working hard in general but also the guards," Harris said. "So, when the guards (are) not getting blown by it helps the post to not have to help as much, which gives them more time to actually play post defense."
Ohio State and Indiana still have a few more crucial matchups following the game on Sunday, especially with both set to face Iowa one more time, but with the Big Ten title looking like a three-team race, the stakes are high for these two's only scheduled meeting of the season.
It's also expected to draw another large crowd to Value City Arena.
"I think our fans are like our superpower," Walker said. "Our fans are always in the crowd, from beginning to end. So that really helps us moving forward, so that's going to be exciting.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State set to face Mackenzie Holmes and the Indiana Hoosiers
