6 things to know about Duke women's basketball before NCAA Tournament vs. Ohio State
Ohio State's second-round matchup is set for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
After beating No. 15 Maine 80-57 in the first round Friday, the No. 2 Buckeyes will host Duke in the Round of 32 Sunday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Here's what you need to know about Duke ahead of Sunday's game.
Celeste Taylor played for Duke before Ohio State
Celeste Taylor will play against her former team in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Ohio State redshirt senior guard will take on Duke, who she played for from 2021-23 before transferring to the Buckeyes.
With the Blue Devils, Taylor was the 2022-23 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-ACC firs-team member while being a finalist for the 2022-23 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year.
Taylor started 55 of 56 games for Duke and averaged 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Taylor also played at Texas for two seasons.
Duke NCAA Tournament: How did the Blue Devils do in the first round?
Trailing 37-28 at halftime, No. 7 Duke stormed back against No. 10 Richmond in the second half of its first-round game of the NCAA Tournament, outscoring the Spiders 44-24 in the second half to win 72-61.
Junior Reigan Richardson led the Blue Devils with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Ashlon Jackson (14) and Kennedy Brown (10) each reached double-digit points.
Duke scored 5 points in the second quarter, making one of 14 shot attempts.
Where did Duke finish in the ACC standings in 2023-24?
Duke finished in the middle of the ACC in 2023-24.
The Blue Devils finished tied for seventh place in the ACC along with rival North Carolina after finishing second in the conference in 2022-23.
After beating Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC tournament, Duke was ousted by NC State in the conference tournament quarterfinal.
Duke stats: Who could lead the Blue Devils in scoring vs. Ohio State?
Reigan Richardson will take the court as Duke's leading scorer Sunday afternoon.
The junior guard and second-team All-ACC honoree averaged 11.5 points per game in 31 regular-season games. She shot 42.6% from the field on an average of 10.5 shot attempts per game. Against Richmond, Richardson led the team with 25 points and made 10 of 18 attempts from the field.
Sophomore guard Taina Mair is averaging 10.2 points per game and is making 39% of her 10.2 shot attempts per game. Against Richmond, Mair was held scoreless and missed each of her seven shot attempts.
Duke vs. Ohio State: When did the Blue Devils last face OSU?
Ohio State has never beaten Duke.
The Blue Devils have beaten the Buckeyes twice in the now-defunct ACC-Big Ten Women's Challenge. Both Ohio State losses came at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Dec. 3, 2009: Duke 83, Ohio State 67
Nov. 30, 2017: Duke 69, Ohio State 60
Duke NCAA Tournament history
Duke is in the middle of its 26th NCAA Tournament run.
The Blue Devils have posted a 60-25 record in tournament play with four trips to the Final Four. Duke's most recent Final Four run was in 2006 when the Blue Devils lost to Maryland in the national championship.
Duke ended the 2022-23 season in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils lost to Colorado in the second round.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 March Madness: 6 facts on Duke ahead of OSU NCAA Tournament game
