So far, in the 2021/22 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes haven’t had the most difficult non-conference schedule. For Ohio State, Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bearcats was the first big test. The Buckeyes studied hard and aced it, dominating the in-state opponent 86-50.
Because of a men’s hockey game at the Schottenstein Center, the Buckeyes played at the Covelli Center. A smaller arena, just down the road from their usual home, made up in size in decibel levels. In other words, it was loud. The Buckeyes performance surely helped.
Against Bellarmine University, on Tuesday, the Buckeyes full-court press didn’t get going until the second quarter. Saturday night, it started from the opening tip.
Senior guard Taylor Mikesell got Ohio State going right away. Mikesell scored the Buckeyes first seven points. It was a mirror image to teammate’s Jacy Sheldon’s start on Tuesday. After an initial layup, Mikesell stole the ball from an errant Cincinnati pass to assist Sheldon. Mikesell got to seven from a three-pointer made, causing a Cincinnati timeout just 56 seconds into the game.
The Buckeyes press forced 11 first quarter turnovers. Those helped Ohio State score 33 first quarter points; the most for any quarter this season. Contributing alongside Mikesell’s nine for the quarter were 10 from Sheldon and seven from senior guard Braxtin Miller.
In the second quarter, Cincinnati started off hot. After taking and missing their only three of the first quarter, the Bearcats scored two quick deep threes. Cincinnati cut down their turnovers to just three, and got to the free throw line twice, compared to zero times in the first.
The Buckeyes were held to 14 second quarter points, but it wasn’t all positive for Cincinnati. With two minutes remaining in the half, sophomore guard Taziah Jenks fell to the court in pain. Jenks didn’t make contact with anyone, and her yells of pain could be heard throughout the Covelli Center. There’s no word on the extent of the injury, but when carried out, Jenks’ knee couldn’t straighten.
Ohio State adjusted to Cincinnati coming into the second half. It reflected on the scoreboard too, as the Buckeyes had their best defensive quarter of the night. The Buckeyes held Cincinnati to 12 points on 26.7% shooting. Of the 12, four came from the free throw line.
In the fourth, McGuff gave his starters a break. Cruising to another lopsided victory, in Columbus, Ohio. This time, 86-50 was the scoreline against the American Athletic Conference’s Cincinnati Bearcats.
Big Night for the Big
The biggest playmaker against Cincinnati, for Ohio State, was junior/center Rebeka Mikulášiková. While the tallest Buckeye (standing in at 6’4”) had just one rebound, Mikulášiková stood out in other ways.
In the third quarter, the Slovakian playmaker matched the entire Bearcats lineup with seven points from the field. All three shots, including one from deep, were made in the third. In addition, Mikulášiková added a steal and stayed out of foul trouble; something that’s impacted her minutes early in the season.
“She just really stayed with it and picked it up,” said McGuff about Mikulášiková’s big second half. “Our team did a really good job of getting her the ball in the second half.”
Mikulášiková ended the evening with a team high 19 points on 7 for 8 shooting. On top of that, Mikulášiková didn’t miss either three she attempted.
Adjusting the Guard Plan
Ohio State had to adjust before the regular season even began at the point guard position. Standout junior guard Madison Greene went down with a knee injury, requiring season ending surgery. The Buckeyes have adjusted.
For the fifth game in a row, head coach Kevin McGuff started Kateri Poole, Sheldon and Mikesell in guard roles. Poole was the name missing from the first regular season start, but showed Saturday why she’s in it now. Coach McGuff agrees.
“She’s making really great strides,” said McGuff about Poole’s night. “Last game she scored it really well. Today, I thought she made sure we moved the ball well. She’s really important to us.”
Poole logged her most minutes of the season (24) and tied Sheldon on the night for team highs in rebounds (5) and assists (6). It doesn’t come as a surprise that Poole is responding to more playing time. After all, Poole started the final five games of the 2020/21 season. The 2021 Big Ten All-Freshman Team member is picking up where she left off.
No Trap Games
Saturday was the last of six-straight home games to start the season. On paper, Cincinnati looked like it could be a trap game for Ohio State. The Buckeyes didn’t fall for the trap. Instead, they had another dominating performance that’s been the early assessment of the season.
It’ll get more difficult from here, as Ohio State plays their next two on the road.
First up is Syracuse University. The Orange have just two wins out of six, but the Buckeyes won’t have home support. Although Syracuse has rebuilding to do, they’re a basketball powerhouse and see a Big 10 opponent as a target.
December 5, the Buckeyes start Big 10 play. Ohio State travels to Purdue University, for a date with the 5-2 Boilermakers. To Mikulášiková and the Buckeyes, they’re ready.
“I feel like we really worked hard preseason and just really preparing for every game,” said Mikulášiková. “I can’t wait for away games.”
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more Ohio State Buckeyes Basketball coverage. Thomas Costello is on Twitter too. Follow him @1ThomasCostello.
