Why Jaloni Cambridge Could Be the Key to an Ohio State Women's Final Four Run

The final pieces of the NCAA Women’s Tournament bracket will fall into place Sunday night when the field is revealed at 8 p.m. ET. One thing is already certain for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The team will host the first two rounds.

Ohio State has secured a top four seed and will likely land on the No. 3 or No. 4 line when the bracket is announced. Hosting the opening weekend gives the Buckeyes a valuable opportunity to build momentum early in the tournament.

If Ohio State is going to take advantage of that opportunity and make a deep run, one player will almost certainly be at the center of it. Jaloni Cambridge

The sophomore guard has been one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country this season. Cambridge enters the NCAA tournament averaging 22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field. At 5 foot 7, the Nashville native plays far bigger than her frame, using her speed and creativity to pressure defenses from the opening tip.

Her recent stretch shows exactly why she could be the difference for the Buckeyes in March

Cambridge scored 33 points in a dominant road victory over the Michigan State Spartans women’s basketball. She followed that with 19 points in a win against the Indiana Hoosiers women’s basketball and added 17 points with six assists in a Big Ten tournament victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s basketball.

Earlier this season Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff compared Cambridge to one of the program’s most prolific scorers, former Buckeye and WNBA great Kelsey Mitchell.

“They are similar in the fact that they’re both so quick up the court and they have command of the ball,” McGuff said. “Kelsey was a score first mentality, and Jaloni will certainly score as we’ve seen of late but she might be a little bit of a pass first, then score.”

Jaloni has heard those comparisons as well, though she approaches them with humility.

“I mean, ever since I’ve been having this shift in my game this year, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, I see a little bit of Kelsey Mitchell on you,’” Cambridge said on the Good Follow podcast with Trysta Krick. “And I do see it definitely because of the speed, but she’s so much more shifty than I am but I’m getting there. I’m going to get there.”

At the same time Cambridge is careful not to measure herself directly. “I don’t really compare myself to anyone,” she said. “It’s not that I don’t think there’s a comparison out there, but I just never have. I probably never will.”

That combination of scoring ability and playmaking has made Cambridge the engine of Ohio State’s offense. Her impact has also been recognized nationally. Cambridge was named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award which honors the top guard in women’s college basketball and was selected to the national ballot for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award.

She also earned second team All-America honors from ESPN and received honorable mention recognition from USA Today

Cambridge credits part of her breakout season to the physical work she put in during the offseason. “I wouldn’t say anything mentally changed,” she said. “Physically, I had to get stronger to be able to do this. I think I’ve stayed off the floor quite a bit more than I did last year.”

Jaloni's team first mentality has also shown up in key moments throughout the season. After Ohio State’s second round victory in the Big Ten tournament she was asked about facing other elite guards and what drives her approach.

Her answer was simple.

“The same thing I do every day, giving everything that I got to help my team win,” Cambridge said.

That mindset reflects the balance that has made Cambridge so dangerous this season. She can take over a game as a scorer but her ability to create for teammates and control the pace of the offense has been just as important to Ohio State’s success.

As March Madness is upon us the Buckeyes will soon learn their exact path when the bracket is revealed Sunday night. Hosting the opening weekend should give Ohio State an early advantage.

But if Ohio State is going to turn that opportunity into something bigger, a deep run and possibly a trip to the Final Four, it will likely be because Jaloni Cambridge is doing exactly what she has done all season. Taking control of the game while doing whatever it takes to help her team win.