2023 NCAA Tournament – First Round
Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Venue: Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio)
Game: vs. James Madison (1:30 p.m.) | Live Stats | ESPN2
Rosters: Ohio State | James Madison
Notes: Ohio State
Bracket | Tournament Central | Tickets
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12/12 Ohio State women’s basketball team (25-7, 12-6 B1G) is set for the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Buckeyes host a First Four game in addition to the first and second rounds in Value City Arena this week. Ohio State plays James Madison in the first round on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on ESPN2 and FM 97.1.
- Ohio State holds a 25-7 record heading into the NCAA Tournament.
- This is the Buckeyes’ 13th time hosting at least one game of the NCAA Tournament and first time since 2018. This is the 14th time Ohio State has been selected as a top-four seed.
- This is Ohio State’s 27th NCAA Tournament appearance as the Buckeyes hold a 28-26 record in the NCAA Tournament. This record reflects wins from select seasons later vacated by the NCAA.
- Last season, the Buckeyes made their 12th appearance in the Sweet 16. Sixth-seeded Ohio State beat 11th-seeded Missouri State by a 63-56 in the first round before defeating third-seeded LSU in Baton Rouge by a 79-64 margin in the second round. The Buckeyes were edged by second-seeded Texas in the Sweet 16 by a 66-63 mark.
- James Madison holds a 26-7 overall record and is set to make its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance (most recently 2016). The Dukes won their first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship by defeating second-seeded Texas State by an 81-51 margin on March 6.
- Senior Kiki Jefferson was named MVP of the Sun Belt Tournament and Sun Belt Player of the Year. She leads JMU with 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season and is second on the team with 96 assists.
- Ohio State leads the all-time series 6-0 against James Madison, though the teams have not met since 2015 and have only played twice since the turn of the century. The Buckeyes and Dukes have played three games in Columbus previously.
- This is the fourth postseason meeting between Ohio State and James Madison as the Buckeyes won 81-66 at home in the 1989 NCAA Tournament, 74-65 at home in the 2001 WNIT and 90-80 at a neutral site in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are now on sale and can be purchased HERE. Fans with ticketing questions should call the Ohio State Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BUCKS or email athletic.tix@osu.edu.
#GoBucks