Ohio State Buckeyes' Celeste Taylor Prepared to Host Former Teammates, Coaches with Duke Blue Devils

The Ohio State Buckeyes tip off against the Duke Blue Devils on noon Sunday.

There’s no bigger stage.

As second-seeded Ohio State gets ready to host seventh-seeded Duke Sunday, one player could have somewhat of an advantage over her former team.

Graduate guard Celeste Taylor, who played two years at Duke under head coach Kara Lawson before arriving in Columbus, was a key member of the backcourt the last couple seasons in Durham, North Carolina. As a member of the Blue Devils, Taylor won Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.

In her first season under head coach Kevin McGuff, Taylor helped the Buckeyes win a regular season Big Ten title and maintain one of the best overall defenses among Power 6 schools and the top scoring defense in the conference. Her aggressiveness in an effective full-court press and active on-ball defense helped her win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year too.

But for Taylor, it might be more than just “another competition” contrary to what the graduate said.

“I'm still close with a lot of them there. It's no bad blood there,” Taylor said postgame Friday vs. Maine. “But honestly you treat it like any other game, another competition.  Obviously people would assume there would be high emotions, for me it's just another competitor on the court because at the same time I go against my teammates in practice all the time.”

Lawson said postgame vs. Richmond Friday that she’s had experience playing former players this season but they can’t “change [their] approach” to playing Taylor.

“[Ohio State is] a great team.  [Taylor is] a great player,” Lawson said. “We've got our hands full, I'm sure, when I look at them of what we're trying to do. But we're aware of it. It's not something that's going to be at the forefront.”

Devils’ sophomore guard Ashlon Jackson, who played all 33 games alongside Taylor her freshman year, echoed this sentiment.

“Celeste is great.  I think the biggest thing will be just how competitive we are,” Jackson said. “She's very competitive. That team is very competitive. Like she said, that's just the nature of the game, but I think it will be a great turnout.”

Jackson and junior guard Reigan Richardson, who put up a combined 39 points Friday, will give the Buckeyes a tough task with their ability to stretch the floor and score at three levels. Both play fast, get the ball out in transition and can play solid on-ball defense.

Jackson herself poses mostly a threat from beyond the arc, shooting the ball at a team-high 36.3 percent clip from downtown. Richardson adds a lethal pull-up from midrange to her arsenal as well.

As Taylor and the Buckeyes prepare to host the Devils at noon in Columbus, Ohio State, who dropped its previous two games before defeating Maine Friday, they will have their work cut out for them.

“For me it's just nice to see them, see some familiar faces, but it will be really exciting,” Taylor said.