On Nov. 14, 2025, the then-unranked West Virginia Mountaineers faced the No. 15 Duke Blue Devils in a game that became the talk of NCAA women’s basketball. After a pushing match at the end of the first half, the Mountaineers lost all but five players to ejections.
It set up West Virginia for a second-half roster that included only one starter and four players further down the team’s bench. The Mountaineers stunned the Blue Devils in a 57-49 victory.
Now, the No. 21-ranked Mountaineers are next up for Ohio State women’s basketball. It’s a matchup where West Virginia has a clear opportunity to exploit a Buckeye weakness and Ohio State has a bench player to help combat it.
So far this season, a key focus on the Buckeyes is the athletes themselves. Ohio State has an 11-player roster, and only three of those players are upperclassmen. With that comes the need for more patience as players evolve, adjust to the college game, and build cohesion in a brand new offense and defense.
The West Virginia Mountaineers also have an 11-player roster, except it is upperclassmen-loaded. Of the 11 athletes, nine are either juniors or seniors.
Now, that does not mean that the players are better or that the age of an athlete dictates their ability on the court. Players like USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo each earned All-American honors as freshmen.
However, what West Virginia does well through those experienced players is go to the basket. Regardless of ability level, freshmen often have trouble when whistles start to go against them. It has the tendency to change how a player acts on the court.
West Virginia takes 28.4 free throws per game, the most of any team in the four NCAA power conferences. That means the inside game of the Buckeyes will be tested, especially forward Kylee Kitts.
Over the first five games of the campaign, Kitts more than any Buckeye showed her growth. On Monday, in Ohio State’s first game of the two-game Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship, Kitts had 12 points and 15 rebounds. That first double-double for the redshirt freshman was the key in a fourth-quarter surge that earned the Buckeyes the 68-56 victory.
On the other side of that standout ability are the fouls. Kitts averages 3.6 fouls per game. In two of the forward’s five career NCAA games, Kitts fouled out.
To Kitts’ credit, it has not changed how the forward played on the court. Kitts’ intensity inside to grab rebounds and win extra possessions does not slow down, a cause of those additional fouls.
The Mountaineers do not take as many deep shots as other teams, eight fewer than the Buckeyes per game, so that means the interior is going to be busy for Ohio State defenders. Guards Kennedy Cambridge and Jaloni Cambridge are right behind Kitts in aggressive play, and the Buckeyes cannot afford to lose them to foul trouble.
Especially Jaloni Cambridge, who scored 26 points against the Bruins and leads the Buckeyes offense in both points (20.6) and assists (3.2).
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s task is balancing the fouls of a young team against the Mountaineers, who have the roster and experience to exploit it. That could mean extra rotation of players, fewer full-court presses, or keeping the team’s identity and adjusting when needed. Ohio State’s first-half self-control can impact how aggressive the Buckeyes play down the stretch.
Ohio State’s full-court press is a double-edged sword. When it’s clicking, it’s lethal. The havoc-inducing press frustrates opponents and gives the Buckeyes extra possessions. When it is not working, teams break through it and find open players in the half-court.
Against Belmont on Monday, the Buckeyes’ full-court press was not dominant. The Bruins’ experienced backcourt duo limited the turnover margin for Belmont to -2.
Instead, the Scarlet and Gray hurt the Bruins with half-court defense for the last 10 minutes. An unexpected source of its effectiveness fell on the shoulders of freshman guard Bryn Martin.
When teams exploit the Ohio State half-court zone, it’s through extra passes, and the Buckeyes cannot keep up, not for Martin. McGuff left Martin in for the entire fourth quarter over starting senior guard T’Yana Todd. Martin did not have a steal or force turnovers, but the freshman’s speed closed down defenders.
That play was part of the reason why Belmont only shot 17.8% in the final quarter of a game that was tied at the end of the third quarter.
The Buckeyes’ current starting roster, with center Elsa Lemmilä working back into the starting lineup due to a leg injury, features a four-guard system of the Cambridge sisters, Todd, and senior Chance Gray. Of the four, Jaloni Cambridge and Kennedy Cambridge are strong defenders, while Gray and Todd provide leadership and offense. Ohio State’s defense improves when Martin enters the game.
Martin is one of only four players who average at least a steal for the Buckeyes. In 14.8 minutes per game off the bench, Martin averages 1.2 steals, the only non-starter with that distinction. To make the full-court and half-court defenses work, Ohio State needs more than two defensive-minded guards on the court.
However, Martin has not hit her stride offensively. As minutes grow, the offense for Martin could follow. That will not only positively impact the Buckeyes in the short term, but next season and beyond as Ohio State’s senior leaders leave the college game.
Injury Rehab and Travel Issues
In the paint for the Buckeyes, Lemmilä returned against the Bruins after the 6’6” center missed the Wednesday victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Finnish big came off the bench for the first time since her freshman 2024-25 season, and as the game progressed, so did Lemmilä‘s play.
“She’s [Lemmilä] felt better, she’s been better in practice,” McGuff told Land-Grant Holy Land. “I think she, she kind of found a rhythm there in the second half, and it was impactful down the stretch.”
The center played eight minutes of the second half and, in that time, did not look rushed, as Lemmilä did in her last game against the UConn Huskies. While the opponent has a say in how an athlete plays, Lemmilä’s Monday minutes showed more composure. The center did not rush shots or try to do too much.
Lemmilä made the one shot she took in the second half and did not turn the ball over once, compared to three giveaways early in the victory over Belmont. With Big Ten basketball approaching and a tough interior matchup on Wednesday against the Mountaineers, Ohio State needs a confident Lemmilä inside to force teams to adjust.
Guard Dasha Biriuk was the only absence on Monday. There are no injury concerns for the Ukrainian freshman, but after the game, McGuff confirmed that Biriuk is not with the team due to issues with her “travel requirements.” Biriuk is expected to be good to go when the Buckeyes return home for a Sunday matchup against Niagara.
