ROSEMONT, Ill. – Jaloni Cambridge was in the trainer’s room at Ohio State when word got to her.
The first women’s college basketball preseason poll from a major media outlet had gone live online. ESPN had ranked the top 25 teams in the nation and snubbed Cambridge’s Buckeyes. They appeared only at the bottom of the list, among a group of also-rans that had been considered for a top-25 spot.
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It didn’t sit right with the sophomore guard.
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“I think we do feel a little disrespected that we aren’t in the top 25, but we have a point to prove and we will prove that coming into the season,” she said.
Neither the Associated Press nor the Coaches’ Poll has been published yet, so it’s not a given that Ohio State will open the season unranked. The Buckeyes have started the past five seasons as a ranked team and in this year’s preseason Big Ten poll, were picked to finish fifth behind UCLA, Maryland, Michigan and USC.
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All four of those teams are top-20 teams in ESPN’s preseason rankings. So are three more Big Ten teams: Iowa (No. 20), Michigan State (23) and Washington (25).
Preseason chatter matters little once actual games take place, but it seems clear that this year’s Ohio State team needs to prove that it belongs in the upper echelon of the conference.
“You can see where No. 1 and No. 2 preseason are right now (in college football),” coach Kevin McGuff said. “Things change, right? We like our team and we like the young women in our locker room and they like each other, so where we’re at at the end of the year, I’m not sure.
“I do like our team and think we have a lot of potential to get a lot better than we are right now, and I think we’ll have another successful season.”
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As McGuff alluded to, the Buckeyes opened the college football season behind No. 1 Texas but beat the Longhorns in their season opener. Texas is no longer ranked. The AP’s No. 2 team, Penn State, has similarly dropped out of the top 25.
As for his team, McGuff has an 11-player roster that is smaller than he would have preferred but one that his players feel is scrappy, versatile and hungry.
“This year, (we’re) very defensive-minded,” senior Chance Gray said. “We’re a little bit smaller than we have been the past couple years, so making that our focus – being gritty. We want to be a very hard team to play against.”
After averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game last year, Cambridge was named the league’s freshman of the year. This preseason, she was named to the 10-team all-conference teams picked by both the coaches and the media. The Buckeyes lost Cotie McMahon to the transfer portal who, in each of the last three years, finished among the team’s top two in shot attempts.
Ohio State guards Chance Gray (21) and Jaloni Cambridge (22) celebrate during a Nov. 24, 2024 game against Bowling Green.
Without her, the Buckeyes will look different.
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“It’s going to be a spread (attack),” Gray said. “It’s not going to be a focal point of just one person being our offense or two people. All starting five or whoever coming off the bench, they can all score. I think everybody is going to be a threat and everybody has to respect that.”
McGuff said he told his players after an Oct. 7 practice that no roles are set yet, rotations have not been defined and minutes are still up for grabs. Gray said the players have not yet practiced with that group she thinks will be the starting five.
Whatever that ultimately looks like, and whether or not the Buckeyes begin the year ranked or not, both Gray and Cambridge were united in their wish that the season could start as soon as possible.
“I’m excited just to play,” Gray said. “That’s (motivation to) go to work for us and play with something to prove, a chip on our shoulder.”
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“I’m so ready for the season to start,” Cambridge said. “If it started tomorrow, I’m ready.”
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge says Buckeyes ‘will prove’ worthy of ranking
