Can the Buckeyes make it 14 in a row?

Ohio State v Maryland — Ohio State forward No. 32 Cotie McMahon scored 14 points in the Buckeyes’ last win against the Maryland Terrapins. | Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

Ranked No. 2, the Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the nation’s hottest teams, and they’re inching closer to winning another Big Ten regular season conference championship.

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (23-3, 14-1) will put their 13-game winning streak on the line this Sunday, Feb. 25 when they host the Maryland Terrapins (16-10, 8-7). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will be followed by a matchup between the Purdue Boilermakers (11-15, 4-11) and the Wisconsin Badgers (13-12, 6-9) at 4 p.m. ET. Both games will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Ohio State’s winning streak goes back to the start of the calendar year (Jan. 5), and one of those victories came against Maryland on Jan. 17. An 84-76 barnburner, the Buckeyes outlasted the Terrapins on their rivals’ home court thanks to 19 offensive rebounds and 30 free throw attempts, as well as double-figure scoring from each of their five starters: Rebeka Mikulášiková (20), Taylor Thierry (17), Cotie McMahon (14), Celeste Taylor (11) and Jacy Sheldon (10).

Took care of business at College Park! pic.twitter.com/mzxp2uLJAb

— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) January 18, 2024

Expect a similarly high-scoring contest this Sunday. Both Ohio State and Maryland have ranked near the top of the NCAA Division I leaderboards in pace (possessions per 40 minutes) in recent years; this season is no different, with the Buckeyes averaging 74.4 possessions per 40 minutes and the Terrapins averaging 77.1. Both programs have also been very efficient with those possessions; Ohio State is scoring 107.8 points per 100 possessions and Maryland scoring 102.7.

There’s a little extra incentive for the Buckeyes to make it 14 in a row, too. With only three games remaining on its Big Ten schedule, Ohio State is close to clinching a regular season conference title. At 14-1, the Buckeyes have a 1.5-game lead over the Indiana Hoosiers (13-3) and a two-game lead over the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-3). Should Ohio State finish the regular season with the best record in the Big Ten, it would be the program’s fourth regular season conference title under head coach Kevin McGuff.

Serah Williams is making history for Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin v Kansas State — Wisconsin’s Serah Williams recorded her second 30-point, 15-rebound double-double of the season in the Badgers’ recent win over Minnesota.

The last time Wisconsin played Purdue, the results were one-sided: an 89-50 win for the Boilermakers that saw the Badgers record more turnovers (21) than made shots (18) and get pummeled on the offensive glass, 17-5.

Things will look different on Sunday, however, with Serah Williams back in the lineup for Wisconsin. The Badgers’ lukewarm conference record of 6-9 has overshadowed the individual performance of their sophomore center, who currently ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (18.6 points) and leads the conference in rebounding (11.3 rebounds).

Recently, Williams dropped 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Wisconsin win over Minnesota—her third 30-point outing of the season and her second 30-point, 15-rebound performance. According to Her Hoop Stats, the only other Wisconsin player to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game (dating back to 2009) was Jacki Gulczynski, who accomplished the feat in 2013. Williams could be in for another big game against the Boilermakers, who rank in the middle of the pack in both offensive rebounding rate (28.8 percent) and defensive rebounding rate (70.7 percent) during Big Ten play.