Women's Basketball Game of The Week: No. 1 UCLA vs No. 8 Ohio State

February has officially begun, which means it’s college basketball crunch time as teams prepare for March.

On the women’s side, fans can tune into an exciting Wednesday night game when No. 1 UCLA hosts No. 8 Ohio State. This is a crucial top-10 matchup with the first-place spot in the Big Ten on the line.

The last time these two teams met was in December 2023 and UCLA took home the 77-71 victory.

The Bruins are off to their best start in school history, standing strong at 21-0 and have held the top spot in the AP poll since Nov. 25.

UCLA is home to one of the top players in the country, Lauren Betts. Betts The 6-foot-7 center leads the team with 20.2 points per game, 2.8 blocks per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. These numbers also place her second in the conference in scoring and fourth in rebounds. Betts’ strong defense places her as a top-5 blocker in the country.

Betts is coming off a career-high 11-assist game in a 79-53 win over Minnesota.

The Bruins are also led by star point guard Kiki Rice. The junior from Bethesda, Maryland, leads the team with 4.4 assists per game and 1.8 steals per game. Rice is having her best season so far, averaging 13.2 points per game and shooting a career-best 56.7 percent.

Rice’s production this season led her to be named a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is given to the nation's best point guard.

As a team, UCLA holds its opponents to 54.9 points per game, while averaging 82.2 of its own.

The Bruins are the last remaining undefeated team in the nation and haven’t had a single-digit victory since its first game of the season, a 66-59 win over Louisville.

It’s safe to say UCLA has been unstoppable all year long even against tough competition and will look to keep the fire going against a hungry Ohio State squad.

The Buckeyes started the season 17-0 and were consistently in the top 10 until a stunning 62-59 loss to Penn State on Jan.19.

Since this loss, Ohio State has been rolling and hopes to play spoiler to the Bruins’ perfect season. With USC falling to Iowa on Sunday, the winner of this matchup will have a good shot at the number one seed in the Big Ten for the time being.

The Buckeyes are led by six-foot junior Cotie McMahon. The Centerville, Ohio, native was the 2023 Big Ten freshman of the year and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team a season ago. McMahon leads the team with 16.5 points per game and is second on the team with 2.3 assists per game.

McMahon netted 19 points in Ohio State’s 66-56 win over Washington on Sunday.

Also making waves for the Buckeyes is freshman Jaloni Cambridge. Cambridge is second on the team with 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game and two steals per game.

Cambridge has made the most of her first season in Columbus, tallying 12 double-digit scoring performances, five of which were 20 points or more.

When it comes to scoring as a team, Ohio State averages 81.6 points per game, while holding its opponents to 58.9.

This matchup of two of the nation's best has all the likings of being a promising one. The game is at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday and can be streamed on Peacock.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.