Where Ohio State women could be seeded for Big Ten tournament

COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 23: Cotie McMahon #32, Jaloni Cambridge #22 and the Ohio State Buckeyes bench reacts following a three point basket by the Buckeyes during the third quarter of a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Value City Arena on February 23, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

by: Orri Benatar

Posted: Feb 24, 2025 / 12:08 PM EST

Updated: Feb 24, 2025 / 12:08 PM EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The final regular season stretch has arrived for Ohio State women’s basketball as it chases a quarterfinal spot in the Big Ten tournament.

The Buckeyes (23-4, 12-4) enter their last two regular season games ranked No. 12 in the new Associated Press poll, putting them on the cusp of hosting first and second round games for the NCAA tournament. Texas became the new No. 1 team in the land after Notre Dame’s loss to N.C. State on Sunday in double overtime.

But before March Madness can get started, No. 12 Ohio State has to ensure a quarterfinal spot in next week’s Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. This year’s tournament is the first in conference history with 15 teams after the additions of Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA to the Big Ten.

Under the new format, an additional first round game is added to the bracket while the bottom three schools don’t qualify for postseason play. As things stand, Ohio State sits in third place in the conference standings, which would guarantee a bye into next Friday’s quarterfinals.

Current Big Ten tournament bracket

While No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA will own the top-two seeds for each program’s first Big Ten tournament, the battle for the last two quarterfinal byes is very tight.

Ohio State concludes the regular season against two teams vying for those seeds starting with its home finale against No. 23 Michigan State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Spartans sit in seventh place with a 10-6 conference record.

The final regular season game is at No. 19 Maryland on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. With the Terrapins sitting in fourth place, this game’s winner will likely be seeded ahead of the loser.

Big Ten tournament action begins next Wednesday with the three first round games and will conclude on March 9 with the final. The winner of the Big Ten tournament earns an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament.

The women’s NCAA tournament bracket will be announced on March 16 at 8 p.m. If Ohio State is a top-four seed, two first round games and one second round game will be played at the Schottenstein Center.