No. 13 Ohio State remains in a position for a double bye in the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament despite dropping two of its past three games, but the Buckeyes need to withstand another difficult week to lock down their spot.
The top four seeds in the Big Ten earn double byes to the quarterfinals, while the next five seeds get only one bye.
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After falling to No. 14 Maryland and No. 22 Minnesota, the Buckeyes bounced back with a win over USC, keeping their conference record at 12-4 to rank fourth in the standings.
“I think they’re legit,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said following Ohio State’s 88-83 victory.
Ohio State closes out the regular season with top-15 matchups against No. 8 Michigan and No. 15 Michigan State, two teams fighting for top-four spots. The Wolverines (13-3) are third in the conference, and the Spartans (11-6) are sixth.
COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Kennedy Smith and Elsa Lemmila compete for a rebound during the fourth quarter of the game at Value City Arena on February 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated USC 88-83. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
To get two victories, the Buckeyes’ focus has to be on rebounding.
The Buckeyes have been outrebounded by at least 13 in all four of their conference losses this season. Maryland recorded a plus-13 rebounding margin (47-34), which was two fewer than Minnesota’s in the next game (47-32).
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“It’s very frustrating,” Ohio State guard Chance Gray said. “We know that it’s a liability for us because of how small we play sometimes. We literally just couldn’t come up with the ball to save our lives.”
Though Michigan State also struggles on the boards, averaging 35.7 per game compared to Ohio State’s 37, Michigan is one of the best rebounding lineups in the conference, grabbing 40.8 per game.
Here are three keys for Ohio State regarding rebounding:
Ohio State must focus on winning 50-50 rebounds
Ohio State’s rebounding success has never come from winning the one-on-one matchups. In the 11 games in which the Buckeyes finished with a positive rebounding margin, they took advantage of loose balls.
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“We’ve got to be much more scrappy,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “We’ve won lately by getting a lot of 50-50 balls and rebounds, a lot of loose balls. … We’ve got to use our speed and quickness.”
COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Jaloni Cambridge and Malia Samuels of the USC Trojans go after a loose ball during the fourth quarter of the game at Value City Arena on February 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated USC 88-83. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Center Elsa Lemmila leads Ohio State with 6.6 rebounds per game. For the guards, Jaloni Cambridge leads in rebounding, averaging 5.7 while standing at 5 feet 7.
Cambridge makes up for her shorter stature by crashing into the paint from anywhere on the court to contest opponents for rebounds.
“It’s playing big to the best of our ability,” Cambridge said. “We’re small, so we have to help each other out the best that we can, and fight until the end. That’s what we do.”
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Ohio State must minimize the rebounding margin
The Buckeyes have proven they can win close games without being ahead in the rebounding column.
Against USC, Ohio State came back from a seven-point deficit, but was still outrebounded 29-27.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) attempts to rebound the ball against Indiana Hoosiers guard Lenée Beaumont (5) in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State has picked up victories while staying within 10 rebounds of the opponent.
“It requires a lot of communication throughout the whole team,” Lemmila said. “Making sure the whole team is in the right place.”
Getting Kylee Kitts involved once again key for Ohio State
When forward Kylee Kitts suffered a right shoulder injury against TCU on Jan. 19, the Buckeyes’ post play took a hit. Kitts and Lemmila had accounted for 12.7 rebounds per game.
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Kitts returned to action against Oregon on Feb. 8, but has struggled to find her footing.
“I think she’s just, in general, trying to find her rhythm,” McGuff said. “And I think we’ve probably been at our best when we’ve been able to play her at the four or the five, and we’ve just haven’t been able to get to that point yet.”
COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Jazzy Davidson #9 of the USC Trojans and Kylee Kitts #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes chase after a loose ball during the first quarter of the game at Value City Arena on February 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
In four games, Kitts has put together just 6 points and nine rebounds, but the hope for McGuff is Kitts will be closer to 100% by the time tournament play begins.
“That would be great,” McGuff said. “I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes between now and then.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Keys for Ohio State women’s basketball vs Michigan, Michigan State
