Three things to watch when Ohio State women’s basketball takes on Howard

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 07: Jaloni Cambridge #22 of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes a shot over Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins during the second half of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 07, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images While nearly every stat line and odd points in the Buckeyes’ favor in Saturday’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Howard, the beauty of March basketball is that anything can happen. Here are three things to know heading into Saturday’s matchup, whether you’re rooting for the favored Buckeyes, the underdog upset, or just a really great game of basketball.

The Jaloni Cambridge factor The sophomore guard is, in many ways, the key to Ohio State’s offense, but the game against Howard will prove a worthwhile test of her resilience. In the Buckeyes’ last outing, a 72-62 loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament, Cambridge, who is the nation’s sixth-best scorer, struggled to find opportunities against the Bruins as her opponent found ways to contain her, consistently taking away her open lane. It is perhaps a testament to just how big of a threat she poses to opposing defenses that UCLA felt she singlehanded required that much defensive energy, but it was nonetheless difficult to watch.

It was just one uncharacteristically frustrating game for Cambridge, and now, the Big Ten’s leading scorer will have her chance to respond. Cambridge, who is averaging 22. 8 points, 5.

6 rebounds and 4. 6 assists per game, doesn’t rattle easily. The loss prior to that against the Bruins was a heartbreaking 88-86 overtime loss at home to their rivals from Ann Arbor.