It wasn’t the greatest start for No. 14 Ohio State in Tuesday’s season opener against No. 5 Tennessee, but it couldn’t have ended much better.
The Buckeyes forced 17 second-half turnovers (29 for the game!), including 11 in the third quarter to erase an eight-point halftime deficit and easily cover as 3.5-point favorites with a 87-75 victory.
It was the type of emphatic win to make you take a peek at their national title odds, which remain unchanged after the game at DraftKings at +5000.
Those odds still trail Tennessee (+800), which has the fourth-shortest in the country behind South Carolina (+150), Stanford (+500) and Iowa (+700). But the Lady Vols had zero answers for Ohio State’s 2-2-1 press defense.
First Top-5 win for @OhioStateWBB since 2019. ✅
The 14-ranked Buckeyes take down No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday night! pic.twitter.com/nk5mvag10v
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) November 9, 2022
Early in the game, the Buckeyes appeared to be outsized on the interior in the half court and settled for outside shots that didn’t fall. However, they turned Tennessee’s turnovers into transition foul opportunities to stay in the game.
Once they found their shooting touch in the second half and started to lock down defensively, the game quickly got out of hand. Led by Taylor Mikesell, who finished with a game-high 25 points, Ohio State made 6-of-13 threes in the second half, outscoring Tennessee by 20.
Despite the big win, Ohio State’s title odds are just tied for 14th. It’s still too early to call them a contender, but it’s never too early to sprinkle something on a team that can defend like that.
