COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the first time in 2024, the Ohio State women’s basketball team lost a game and have dropped down in the national rankings heading into the postseason.

The Buckeyes (25-4, 16-2) have dropped down to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll after its 15-game winning streak was snapped Sunday afternoon by now No. 3 Iowa. Ohio State lost in Iowa City 93-83 after Hawkeyes’ star Caitlin Clark became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.

Before the loss to Iowa, Ohio State took down Michigan 67-51 on Wednesday to clinch at the Big Ten regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in this week’s conference tournament in Minneapolis.

The first postseason game for the Buckeyes will be on Friday in the Big Ten quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. They will play either Maryland or Illinois, who OSU went 3-0 against combined and won by an average of just less than 10 points. Ohio State can only rematch with Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, which will be on Sunday at noon.

After the Big Ten tournament, Ohio State will take the week off in anticipation for the NCAA Tournament selection show on March 17. The Buckeyes look likely to claim a one-seed or two-seed for March Madness, which would give them hosting duties for the first two rounds at Value City Arena.

Associated Press Poll (Mar. 4, 2023)