Ohio State hoping Jacy Sheldon's return provides boost in final stretch of regular season
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In the Hollywood version of Sunday's game at No. 8 Maryland for the No. 13 Ohio State women's basketball team, senior point guard Jacy Sheldon's return after missing 16 games with a foot injury would have lifted the Buckeyes to a win, their first against a ranked opponent since Dec. 31. .
With a 3-pointer just over halfway into the first quarter and a defensive rebound that led to Taylor Thierry's game-tying layup on the next possession, Sheldon looked, in the game's early minutes, like the spark Ohio State needed. But after missing over two months of action, Sheldon isn't yet at full capacity, and the early spark fizzled out as she finished with just 5 points while playing 25 minutes in the 90-54 loss.
The Buckeyes struggled across the lineup in what became their ugliest loss of the season, so Sheldon's impact being less than she typically provides was far from the only reason that the Terrapins were able to dominate Ohio State.
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But as the Buckeyes head into the final stretch of the regular season, with five games left before the Big Ten Tournament, getting Sheldon back to full speed as soon as possible is imperative.
After starting the season 19-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are 20-4 overall and 9-4 and have slipped from first place in the Big Ten standings to fourth. Their final five games begin against Minnesota (12th in the Big Ten) on Wednesday at Value City Arena before facing Indiana (first), Penn State (10th), Michigan (fifth) and Maryland (third). The top four teams get a double bye in the Big Ten tournament, and Ohio State is currently clinging to the fourth spot.
"I think with Jacy coming back, that’s going to help," coach Kevin McGuff said. "We played faster with her in the game. I think we can potentially get more transition baskets, and I think it’ll also help space the floor. She’s a little bit more accurate shooter than some of the kids we’ve been playing. I think once she gets into her flow, that’s going to be a huge boost for us."
McGuff has been clear since early in Sheldon's recovery process that the goal was to be careful and patient with her in order to have her at full strength for the postseason. The Buckeyes' recent struggles, with losses in four of their past five games, make it all the more important that Sheldon is back to her full capabilities in the near future.
Wednesday's game against Minnesota, on paper, presents an opportunity for Sheldon to get back to her game against a less-threatening opponent, but as Ohio State learned against Purdue, facing a team that's lower in the standings is no guarantee of an easy win — or even a win at all.
"The Big Ten is really good and we’ve played a lot of good teams recently," Sheldon said. "But like (McGuff) said, today we didn’t play anywhere close to our potential. Just getting back to the way we play and giving 100% effort has to be our focus."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State hopes Jacy Sheldon will have big impact after injury
