No. 16 Indiana Set to Host No. 14 Ohio State Thursday in Assembly Hall
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ohio State did Indiana a favor Monday night. The No. 14 Buckeyes defeated No. 7 Maryland 88-86.
The loss dropped Maryland to 7-1 on the season in the Big Ten, which is what Indiana's conference record is after defeating No. 21 Northwestern on the road on Sunday.
So now the No. 16 Hoosiers have an opportunity Thursday night to take over first place in the Big Ten standings if they can defeat the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is coming to Bloomington riding two-straight wins over top-25 opponents — No. 11 Michigan and No. 7 Maryland.
They are led by sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon, who averages 18 points per game, while sophomore guard Madison Greene adds 15 points per game. They are one of the highest scoring offenses in the Big Ten, averaging 85.3 points per game this season.
"They're really good. They're really, really good," head coach Teri Moren said. "Similar to us, I think they have all five of their starters balanced. All of them can score in their own way. Kevin (McGuff) is a terrific coach and runs terrific sets. If you make a mistake they will make you play."
Ohio State had one slip up this season, and it was an eight-point loss on the road to Nebraska. Other than that, the Buckeyes have been perfect this season, coming in with an overall record of 9-1 and conference record of 5-1.
Indiana's lone conference loss was a four-point defeat to Maryland on the road.
The Hoosiers and Terrapins both sit atop the standings right now at 7-1.
Since that loss, Indiana has won four games in a row, winning each one by double-digits.
Indiana is currently ranked No. 9 in the NET rankings, which is the highest rated Big Ten team.
"They've handled it well," Moren said on the high expectations placed on the team. "They also realize that we have so much room to continue to grow and areas that we have to become better in."
Indiana should be at full strength for Thursday's game as well. The Hoosiers got Jaelynn Penn back last game against Northwestern after she had missed the previous three with an ankle injury.
Penn provided 12 points off the bench for Indiana.
"The thing that probably surprised us the most was she didn't look gassed," Moren said. "She gave us a great spark, and she just gives you another scorer from the outside. Jaelynn is an elite type of basketball player."
One thing Moren wants to see more out of going forward is Ali Patberg putting the ball in the basket. There was a stretch after the Maryland loss where Patberg scored 24 points and 21 points in back-to-back games.
But the last two games, despite both being wins, Patberg has scored just five and six points, respectively.
"I think we're a better basketball team when Ali Patberg is at her best, and that is when she's ultra-aggressive on the offensive side of the ball," Moren said.
It's going to be a tough test Thursday night as Indiana looks to pick up its second-straight top-25 win and fifth-straight win overall.
The game will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.