IU women's basketball will take on its first ranked opponent of the season when No. 14 Ohio State comes to Bloomington for a New Year's Eve showdown at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
In what will be IU's first nationally televised game of the year, on CBS, the Hoosiers will look to extend their 20-game home winning streak and start conference play 2-0. A win over the Buckeyes (11-4) is a tall task, but with a blowout win at Penn State already under their belts, the Hoosiers have shown they are prepared for the conference schedule.
Last season, IU lost at Ohio State by a final of 97-70 as Buckeye guard Kelsey Mitchell dropped 23 points. Mitchell, now a junior, was a preseason All-American this year and has certainly lived up to the hype, averaging 22.5 points and nearly four assists per game. She also averages around three turnovers per game, more than any Hoosier, but it is hardly a surprise given how much she handles the ball. IU Coach Teri Moren said the gameplan for her team is highly focused on containing Mitchel..
“You start with Mitchell," Moren said in an interview posted to iuhoosiers.com. "She’s a one-man wrecking crew by herself, just incredible. I don’t think I’ve seen a kid as fast as she is with the ball in her hand going downhill and getting up the floor at a high rate of speed. And then her ability to pull from wherever and whenever is incredible. So you start with her and that means our transition defense is going to have to really be laser sharp tomorrow.
The Hoosier backcourt has a 20-point scorer of its own, with junior guard Tyra Buss set to face her toughest test of the season so far in Mitchell. In last season's game against the Buckeyes, Buss scored 19 points. The Illinois native is averaging 20.1 points per game and a career-best 42 percent from the 3-point line. Mitchell is also a prolific shooter, with 50 made threes already this season and a 38 percent mark from deep.
Ohio State has plenty of height in the paint as well, with three players listed at 6-foot-3 or taller. Junior forward Stephanie Mavunga anchors the front court with 13 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Senior forward Shayla Cooper rounds out a strong duo of post players for Ohio State, as she averages 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
IU's junior forward Amanda Cahill and senior forward Jenn Anderson will be called upon to stop Cooper and Mavunga, while senior guard Alexis Gassion will likely guard Mitchell, or at the very least play a role in containing the All-American in whatever defensive sets IU Coach Teri Moren chooses to use.
The Hoosiers set a season high for made threes at Penn State on Wednesday with 12, and raised their team three-point shooting percentage to nearly 39 percent. Ohio State, on the other hand, shoots just 32 percent from deep, meaning IU will have one its biggest advantages in the game from beyond the arc.
Ohio State runs a 2-2-1 press defense, which Moren likened to the pressure IU faced at Auburn earlier this year. In that game, IU held a double digit lead for much of the game before ultimately losing to the Tigers on the road. On Saturday, Moren said, the Hoosiers need to avoid getting worn down by the press if they have a late lead. Taking care of the ball is a priority she said, second only to slowing Mitchell on the fast break.
"They’re going to be in that 2-2-1 press and try to cause some havoc in the backcourt," Moren said. "So those are the two keys, our transition defense and then our ability to handle the ball and handle their pressure."
