On Thursday, the Big Ten announced who the coaches and media think are the best of the conference before the season tips off in November. Ohio State women’s basketball guard Jaloni Cambridge received a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten team and the Buckeyes landed fifth in preseason rankings.
For Cambridge, the spot on the team follows a freshman season where the point guard landed on the coaches’ First Team and media’s Second Team. This year, both the coaches and media selected Cambridge to the preseason awards as Ohio State’s biggest threat on offense.
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Last season, Cambridge averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists as the guard started each of the 29 appearances she made in scarlet and gray. Included in that stretch was a game-winning shot and stop on defense to avoid a potential upset against the Belmont Bruins and an early career high 33 points in a win over the Michigan State Spartans.
The only consensus selection for the preseason team is UCLA Bruin’s center Lauren Betts, who was selected by all coaches and media members. Betts’ teammate Kiki Rice was also on both teams, but only the coaches unanimously chose the guard. USC Trojans star guard JuJu Watkins was not selected as the guard announced she would miss the entire season due to an ACL injury in the postseason. With that injury, Betts also landed consensus Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for both sets of voters.
Cambridge is one of only three sophomores on the 10-player list, alongside the Michigan Wolverines duo of guards Olivia Olson and Syla Swords.
This is the fourth season in a row that an Ohio State player has been represented on the Preseason All-Big Ten team. Jacy Sheldon received the honor at the start of the 22-23 season and 23-24 campaigns, while Cotie McMahon earned it the last two seasons.
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In terms of team rankings, the Buckeyes came in at No. 5 on the list for both the coaches and media, with UCLA and Maryland coming in at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The middle positions swapped with coaches putting the Michigan Wolverines at No. 3 and the USC Trojans at No. 4 and media choosing the opposite.
The last time the Buckeyes came in at No. 5 on the preseason poll was the 21-22 season when Ohio State surprised the conference and won a share of the regular season championship with the Iowa Hawkeyes. A repeat of that result would be a surprise considering the rebuild of the Buckeyes roster after the exit of McMahon in the transfer portal and Taylor Thierry, who now plays in the WNBA.
When Ohio State won the regular season outright in 2024, they were the No. 3 ranked team entering the season.
For the full list of honors, click here.
