NCAAW: Betts leads undefeated UCLA Bruins against Ohio State Buckeyes

No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-1; 9-1 Big Ten) will play the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (21-0; 9-0 Big Ten) this Wednesday, Feb. 5 in a matchup between the two top teams in the Big Ten. The game will be broadcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service, with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.

Though the logistics of the NCAA’s recent conference realignment, in which UCLA and three other former Pac-12 programs were welcomed to the Big Ten, have surely taken some time for all parties to figure out, the Bruins have looked more than comfortable on the court—and they’ve already made a bit of conference history, too. Entering the month of February, UCLA’s schedule remains spotless, and the Bruins have now spent 11 straight weeks atop the AP Top 25 rankings, which is the longest such streak by any Big Ten team.

It all starts in the frontcourt for the Bruins, specifically with center Lauren Betts. The 6-foot-7 junior is currently averaging 20.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, and even that describes only part of her impact for UCLA; Betts’ towering presence in the paint not only gives the Bruins a highly-efficient scorer (64.1 percent shooting) and rim protector, but the attention she commands from defenses opens things up for the rest of UCLA’s players. In a recent win over Minnesota, Betts recorded 11 assists, and Bruins head coach Cori Close was quick to praise her selflessness when facing three (or even four) defenders.

“It speaks volumes to how dominant she’s been, that they felt they needed to do that,” Close said of Minnesota’s swarming defensive strategy against Betts, “and how selfless she is to be able to just facilitate for her teammates.”

The Bruins can expect a similar challenge from Ohio State. In any other season, the Buckeyes would probably be the talk of the Big Ten; Ohio State currently sits in second place in the conference standings, fueled largely by an aggressive, pressing defense that has become a Buckeye trademark in recent seasons. Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff knows that kind of defensive havoc will be crucial in his team’s matchup against UCLA.

“We’re going to have to crowd her a little bit,” McGuff said of Betts, emphasizing the need for a team effort. “She’s a great player. It’s a really hard matchup.”

There haven’t been many teams in Division I better at winning the possession battle than Ohio State, and it goes both ways. The Buckeyes’ relentlessness on defense is what generates the highlights, and they rank seventh in the country in steal rate (14.9 percent), but they’ve been just as good at taking care of the basketball themselves (14.2 percent turnover rate; eighth in the country). Ohio State has plenty of athleticism on the perimeter with players like Cotie McMahon, Taylor Thierry and Jaloni Cambridge, but their ability to play both ends of the court sets them apart.

The Buckeyes’ chaos-creating approach has generally served them well against Big Ten opponents. They have an edge in athleticism and conditioning on most nights, and it’s hard to argue with the 77.4 points per 100 possessions they’ve allowed thus far—if the season ended today, that would be Ohio State’s best defensive rating since McGuff took over a decade ago, according to Her Hoop Stats.

UCLA isn’t an easy team to fluster, though. Junior guard Kiki Rice, who was recently named to the midseason watchlist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, leads a Bruin offense that’s posting a 1.43 assist/turnover ratio. Then there’s the Betts factor: UCLA is getting an offensive rebound on 43.9 percent of its misses (third in Division I), which is going to be difficult for the Buckeyes to match if they can’t keep the Bruins from settling into their halfcourt offense. Look for Ohio State to apply the pressure early and often in its bid for an upset.

Game information

No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-1; 9-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 UCLA Bruins (21-0; 9-0 Big Ten)

When: Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET

Where: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

How to watch: Peacock