4 things to know about Maine women's basketball ahead of NCAA Tournament vs. Ohio State

Colin Gay, Columbus Dispatch

March Madness has arrived for Ohio State women's basketball.

The Buckeyes, a No. 2 seed, will host its first-round matchup against No. 15 Maine at noon Friday at Value City Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here's what you need to know about Maine:

Maine earns its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2019

Maine's Adrianna Smith gets the ball down low during the Black Bears 68-60 loss to Vermont on Wednesday night at UVM's Patrick Gym.
Maine's Adrianna Smith gets the ball down low during the Black Bears 68-60 loss to Vermont on Wednesday night at UVM's Patrick Gym.

While Maine has had 11 straight winning seasons, the Black Bears are returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons.

In 2023-24, Maine won the Women's America East Conference regular-season title before it won the conference tournament, beating Vermont 64-48 in the tournament final.

The Black Bears' record of 24-9 is the team's best since the 2018-19 season, when a 25-8 record ended in an NCAA Tournament appearance. Maine, a No. 14 seed, lost to No. 3 NC State 63-51 in the first round.

Maine NCAA Tournament history

Maine has appeared in 10 NCAA tournaments. The Black Bears' first appearance was in 1995 as a No. 16 seed. They lost 105-75 to No. 1 Connecticut.

Maine has one NCAA Tournament win, a 60-58 victory as a No. 10 seed against No. 7 Stanford. The Black Bears lost to No. 2 Old Dominion in the Round of 32, 72-62.

Here's a look at Maine's full NCAA Tournament history:

  • 1995: No. 1 Connecticut 105, No. 16 Maine 75

  • 1996: No. 6 George Washington 83, No. 11 Maine 67

  • 1997: No. 4 LSU 88, No. 13 Maine 79

  • 1998: No. 4 NC State 89, No. 13 Maine 64

  • 1999: No. 10 Maine 60, No. 7 Stanford 58; No. 2 Old Dominion 72, No. 10 Maine 62

  • 2000: No. 5 North Carolina 62, No. 12 Maine 57

  • 2004: No. 4 Texas Tech 60, No. 13 Maine 50

  • 2018: No. 2 Texas 83, No. 15 Maine 54

  • 2019: No. 3 NC State 63, No. 14 Maine 51

Who leads Maine in scoring?

Maine's Anne Simon drives during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Championship of the America East Conference tournament, Friday, March 11, 2022, at Orono, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Maine's Anne Simon drives during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Championship of the America East Conference tournament, Friday, March 11, 2022, at Orono, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Ohio State will have to contend with a two-time AEC Player of the Year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Redshirt senior guard Anne Simon, the 2024 AEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Black Bears with 18.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 43.4% from the field on a career high 16.1 shots per game.

Junior forward Adrianna Smith has also played an instrumental role in Maine's offense, averaging 16.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game along with 1.5 steals per contest.

Smith and Simon combine on average for more than 20 of the Black Bears' 60 shot attempts per game.

Ohio State vs. Maine history: Has OSU faced the Black Bears?

Ohio State has beaten Maine in each of the team's two meetings.

The Buckeyes last met the Black Bears in 2017 and earned a 83-70 win in Columbus. The two teams' first meeting was a 93-64 Ohio State win in 1995.

Maine lost its only game against a Big Ten opponent in 2023-24: a 67-59 home loss to Indiana Nov. 30.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 March Madness: 4 facts on Maine ahead of OSU NCAA Tournament game

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