What channel is Ohio State women's NCAA Tournament game on? How to watch OSU-Maine
Two weeks after Ohio State was upset in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals by Maryland, the Buckeyes have a chance at redemption in the NCAA Tournament.
It was revealed on Sunday that Ohio State would be entering the tournament as a No. 2 seed in the Portland 3 region, marking the program's highest seeding since 2010. Set to face the No. 15 Maine Black Bears, the America East Conference champions, in the opening round, the Buckeyes are looking to bounce back from one of their worst performances of the season.
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Against the Terrapins on March 9, Ohio State went 23 for 64 from the field, for a season low 35.9%. The final score of 82-61 marked the largest losing margin the Buckeyes have recorded this season, with the 55-31 rebounding margin being the most they've been outrebounded by.
For Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, he's hoping that the time to regroup will allow Ohio State to "flush" the Maryland game from its system in a return to action against the Black Bears, who is currently on a six-game winning streak.
Going in as the higher seed and the heavy favorites to defeat Maine on Friday afternoon, the Buckeyes have already learned the hard way that any team can come out on top in the month of March.
Here's how to watch Ohio State vs. Maine in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 on Friday:
What channel is Ohio State vs. Maine on?
The game will be on ESPN. Streaming is available via the ESPN app, but a television subscription is required.
What time does Ohio State play Maine?
Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. at Value City Arena.
Who is announcing the Ohio State vs. Maine game on ESPN?
On the call for the Ohio State-Maine matchup will be Matt Schumacher and Meghan McKeown.
How can I to listen to Ohio State vs. Maine on the radio?
Ohio State vs. Maine will be broadcast on 97.1 FM and 1460 AM and can be streamed via Sirus XM. Matt Andrews, Kristin Watt and Caity Matter Henniger will be on the radio call.
What are the odds for Ohio State vs. Maine in March Madness?
Ohio State is a 26.5-point favorite against Maine and the over-under is 133.5 points, according to BetMGM.
How did Ohio State do in the 2023 NCAA Tournament?
Ohio State went into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed in the Seattle 3 region. Hosting the first and second rounds at Value City Arena, the Buckeyes defeated the No. 14 seed James Madsion in the Round of 64 and narrowly avoided being upset by the No. 6 seed North Carolina to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Once arriving in Seattle, Ohio State went up against the No. 2 seed UConn, who had reached the Elite Eight the prior 16 straight seasons. The Buckeyes snapped the Huskies' streak and powered their way to their first Elite Eight in 30 years.
Going up against the No. 1 seed Virginia Tech, Ohio State's March run came to an end, falling to the Hokies 84-74.
How did Ohio State clinch a No. 2 seed?
Ohio State's regular season was a story of two halves, the 2023 half and the 2024 half.
After opening the season with an 83-74 loss to No. 21 Southern California on Nov. 6, Ohio State a few games later picked up a victory at No. 20 Tennessee on Dec. 3. On Dec. 10, the Buckeyes recorded their first Big Ten win of the season, defeating No. 25 Penn State 94-84 in overtime.
The Buckeyes' first top-10 challenge of the season came in the form of No. 2 UCLA on Dec. 18, when they dropped their second game of the season 77-71.
After falling to Michigan 69-60 two games later on Dec. 30, Ohio State started the 2024 portion of the season with a victory over 90-60 victory Northwestern on Jan. 5. This would mark the start of the Buckeyes' 15-game winning streak in which they would ride until March.
The Buckeyes biggest test of the season came Jan. 21, when they played their first of two scheduled games against then-ranked No. 2 Iowa. In front of the largest crowd in program history, 18,660 people watched Ohio State upset the Hawkeyes 100-92 in overtime.
Continuing to build momentum within the Big Ten, just a two weeks later, Ohio State defeated No. 10 Indiana 74-69.
On Feb. 25, Ohio State secured a share of the Big Ten regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with an 79-66 victory over Maryland. Three days later, the Buckeyes avenged their loss to Michigan by defeating the Wolverines 67-51 to lock down the outright regular season title.
Finishing the season on the road against Iowa, Ohio State was unable to overcome the Hawkeyes one more time in the regular season. The Buckeyes up their first loss of 2024 on the day Caitlin Clark broke Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I all-time scoring record.
Heading to Minnesota expected by many to be facing off against Iowa one more time in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, the Buckeyes were able to make it past their first game at the Target Center, falling to the No. 8 seed Maryland Terrapins in the quarterfinals.
How did Maine win the America East Conference championship?
The Black Bears went into the America East Tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the conference regular-season title with a 14-2 record, 24-9 overall.
Starting in the quarterfinals against the No. 8 seed University of Massachusetts Lowell, Maine battled in closely contested matchup and narrowly picked up the 49-43 victory. The semifinal matchup against the No. 5 seed Binghamton University was another six-point game that ended in Maine advancing in the tournament.
After two close matchups in the tournament, the Black Bears made sure that would change in the championship game, defeating the No. 3 seed University of Vermont 64-48 to win their fifth conference tournament title in seven years.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs. Maine women's basketball, where to watch game
