Look, if anyone ever promised you that life in the Big Ten would result in easy wins in any sport, you need to go find that person and tell them that they lied and you don’t want to buy their ocean-front property in Nevada.
Why do I bring this up?
Because Tina Langley and the Washington Huskies women’s basketball team are hitting the road to Columbus, Ohio and they’re getting set to take on one of the most talented teams in the country as they face the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center.
Washington is heading into this game aiming to snap a losing streak that included a couple losses against the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers. And while those losses sting, they likely aren’t going to be as bad as the possible result that could come against the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Ohio State is holding opponents to 59 points per game while also averaging 82.4 points per game. This is a team that is used to winning and they win in lopsided ways. Ohio State happens to be pretty dang good at this whole basketball thing and the Washington Huskies, at 13-8, have six fewer wins than Ohio State while still having eight times as many losses as the Buckeyes.
Washington Huskies vs. Ohio State Buckeyes preview: UW headed to Columbus in hopes of unlikely upset
I don’t like this situation!
This is one of the best teams in the Big Ten that Washington is about to face. It’s likely not going to be much fun for anyone who loves the Huskies. And the ESPN Analytics Matchup Predictor backs that up, giving UW just a 9.6 percent chance of winning.
The Buckeyes have looked nearly unstoppable. They’re a perfect 10-0 at home in Columbus and that one loss came on the road against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Washington will need to find a way to handle Ohio State’s defensive pressure while still continuing to shoot effectively. That’s a tough task.