Back on Feb. 24, 2016, Ohio State women’s basketball went to the Barn, the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and lost 90-88 in overtime. That game is not important because of a key moment, even though a win would have given the Buckeyes a regular-season Big Ten title, but none of that applies in 2026. Only head coach Kevin McGuff remains from the two programs over the last nearly 10 years.
That game is the last time the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in women’s basketball. All of the next 14 matchups ended in victory for the Scarlet and Gray, even though three are scrubbed from the record books due to team violations.
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Even so, it has not gone well for the Gophers against the Buckeyes, but that could change on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ranked Gophers and Mara Braun
Ohio State visits Minnesota at a time when the Golden Gophers are the worst-kept secret in women’s college basketball. Minnesota is 20-6 on the season, but put together a tough schedule that put the team in the top-10 in the NCAA NET rankings. On top of that high ranking, the Gophers are currently on an eight-game winning streak, which includes a win over the then No. 10-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
The only people who did not seem to know how well Minnesota played were the Associated Press poll voters. On Monday, the Golden Gophers entered the top-25 for the first time this season, and the first time since Jan. 20, 2025. Also, it is only the fifth time that Minnesota entered the top-25 in the last seven seasons.
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Leading the way is guard Mara Braun. The senior came into Minnesota four seasons ago and showed the start of a career that could take the Golden Gophers to another level, but injury-plagued Braun over the last three years. Ohio State only faced the guard twice, and that was within a month at the end of the 2022-23 season. Braun played 27 games in the next two seasons, and none against the Buckeyes.
Minnesota’s senior leader is an offensive weapon. This season, the guard started off slow after she only played the first five games of the 24-25 campaign. In the last six games, Braun is on a tear with 15.3 points per game and 47.1% from beyond the arc. It is indicative of a guard finding her stride.
Outside of scoring, Braun contributes to the team by not giving the ball away, which is how Minnesota excels. Braun gives the ball away 1.5 times per game, slightly above the 1.38 average of the projected Gophers starting five. Minnesota has the fewest turnovers per game in the Big Ten with 10.4 per game. In the recent eight-game winning streak, the average dropped to 9.8.
So far this season, the Gophers have only three conference games where they had at least 15 turnovers. Maryland forced 17 turnovers and grabbed two in double overtime to defeat the Gophers. Michigan forced 16 in a 10-point victory on Jan. 5. Minnesota’s third game, a 15-turnover performance against Nebraska, ended with a Gophers victory, but Minnesota has not faced the two strongest teams in the press with Ohio State and Michigan State, who follow up the game against the Buckeyes.
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There will be motivation, of course, for Ohio State, after it gave up a 19-point lead to the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday before losing by a single point, but will that turn into a strong performance defensively? In that defeat, the Buckeyes matched the Terps with 18 turnovers. Ohio State will have a difficult time against Minnesota if it gives the ball away that many times because there are shooters who can hurt the Buckeyes on the other side of the court.
Outside of 6-foot-5 center Sophie Hart, the Gophers have four capable guards who can shoot from deep. Guards Grace Grocholski and Tori McKinney are right behind Braun’s 5.2 attempts per game with 4.8 and 3.4 shots from deep, respectively. That could be more if the Buckeyes’ zone defense does not close down shooters, or if the full-court press does not shut down the attempts.
One area to watch is how Ohio State uses its personnel. More specifically, does head coach Kevin McGuff move the team back to a two-big starting lineup with center Elsa Lemmilä and forward Kylee Kitts?
What Happens Inside?
The redshirt freshman Kitts returned for two games so far since she injured her shoulder against the TCU Horned Frogs on Jan. 19, 2026. Kitts played 17 minutes on Sunday, nine minutes more than her return against the Oregon Ducks a week prior.
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This means that Kitts could be moving back to the starting lineup, but maybe not against Minnesota.
At the center of the Gophers is the center Hart. She is a traditional No. 5, surrounded by four guards. McGuff will likely keep the even matchup and split time between Lemmilä and Kitts. How much trust McGuff and the coaching staff have in the pair will be clear in the benching decisions. Maryland neutralized Lemmilä, but Ohio State did not give her a lot of early opportunities. When Lemmilä had late chances, and she missed them, McGuff pulled her out of the game quickly. Much faster than if Jaloni Cambridge or Chance Gray missed baskets.
If Lemmilä starts strong in a more big-on-big matchup against Hart, expect Lemmilä to keep some of those minutes. Also, if the matchup is not working and Minnesota is out-rebounding Ohio State, Kitts could still come in alongside Lemmilä. The Gophers are not necessarily a big team, but rebounding is about will over height, which Maryland showed on Sunday. Will Ohio State have that fire on Wednesday night?
Projected Lineups
Ohio State
G: Jaloni Cambridge
G: Chance Gray
G: Kennedy Cambridge
G: Ava Watson
C: Elsa Lemmilä
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Lineup Notes
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Sunday was the first game this season where two Buckeyes scored at least 25 points, with Jaloni Cambridge (29) and Chance Gray (25)
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Jaloni Cambridge leads the team in charges taken with 12. Kennedy Cambridge is second with 5
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Kennedy Cambridge’s 106 steals means she is nine away from tying the program recordof 115 steals from Yvette Angel in the 84-85 season
Minnesota
G: Amaya Battle
G: Tori McKinney
G: Mara Braun
G: Grace Grocholski
C: Sophie Hart
Lineup Notes
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All five projected starters for the Golden Gophers average at least 10 points per game
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Center Sophie Hart’s 85 offensive rebounds are the third most in the conference this season
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Guard Grace Grocholski is third in the Big Ten with a 46% three-point shooting percentage
Prediction
Minnesota will start off with a strong offensive performance, but the Buckeyes will find their defensive pressure. Expect Jaloni Cambridge and Kennedy Cambridge to excel in their strengths of scoring and steals. While Kennedy Cambridge will not get all nine steals she needs to match the program record for takeaways in a season, a chunk of them will go the guard’s way.
LGHL Score Prediction: 87-78 Ohio State
How to Watch
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: FS1
Stream: FOX Sports App
