Last season, as a freshman point guard for Ohio State women’s basketball, Jaloni Cambridge had her share of growing pains. Early on, she quickly realized the difference in size and physicality when driving to the basket. By the end of the season, she was learning how to navigate team roles amid a clear tug-of-war for offensive control between herself and former Buckeye forward Cotie Mc Mahon. That tension led to a quieter finish for Cambridge as Ohio State exited in the Second Round at home.
During the 2024 postseason, Cambridge averaged 11.8 points per game. When you factor in her below-average rebounds and assists numbers, it was obvious something wasn’t clicking within the team. But year two? Totally different story – like a whole new chapter.
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This time around, with full control over the offense, Ohio State comes into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. Leading that charge is not just Cambridge but also fellow guards Kennedy Cambridge and Chance Gray. What sets this year’s Buckeyes apart is how this trio turned last year’s fade-out into fierce competition-even when things got tough.
Jaloni Cambridge is front and center in all of it. The sophomore has racked up some serious honors-making a Big Ten All-Conference team again and earning second- and third-team All-American nods from outlets like The Athletic, USA Today, and USBWA. Still though, she hasn’t quite become a household name across college hoops yet.
There are reasons for that beyond her control-like media rights deals locking up certain conferences from ESPN coverage-but this year feels different; Jaloni looks ready to break through.
A real candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year, she topped the conference scoring charts with 26.4 points per game while handing out 4.9 assists per game-good enough for seventh-best in the league overall. Last season saw six games where she didn’t crack double digits-and even one scoreless outing against Nebraska.
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None of those low-scoring nights happened this season as she climbed past Ohio State legend Katie Smith (now an assistant coach) to sit sixth all-time in single-season scoring-with room left to grow still. Plus, Jaloni did something no one since WNBA star Kelsey Mitchell has done: drop 41 points against Illinois early January.
Now all that’s left is bringing her “pass first” style-which still leads to blazing drives and nearly 30 points per game-to March Madness-and everything points toward her doing just that.
While her scoring dipped slightly during three games at the Big Ten Tournament (16 points per game), she racked up 16 assists across those games too-and if not for an off night shooting against UCLA Bruins, Ohio State might’ve made it to the championship game instead of losing 72-62 to what became dominant regular season and tournament champs.
After putting up only 12 points on a season-low 28.6% shooting night, Cambridge wasn’t keen on chatting postgame-the few short sentences from her barely masked how much she wanted out of there right then and there. Frustration was clear-and rightly so.
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Top college athletes have this knack for shaking off past games quickly because they’re focused on what’s next-but it still stokes extra fire inside them sometimes too. Luckily for Jaloni Cambridge motivation isn’t really an issue-and with what assistant coach Smith calls “100 miles an hour” speed-her upcoming First and Second Round matchups versus Howard Bison and either Fairfield or Notre Dame will be perfect chances for redemption after two weeks without competitive play.
Cambridge’s stats this season-22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game-put her among nation’s best-but she’s not alone playing that complete point guard role well here either if higher seeds hold true in round one: newly minted Second Team All-American Jaloni will face off against three-time All-American Hannah Hidalgo from Notre Dame-a matchup between two fast-paced guards who get teammates involved while giving opponents fits on both ends.
That showdown alone makes heading to Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center worth it-and being broadcast on ESPN networks means plenty of eyes will catch it live-it’s prime time stuff-the biggest stage so far in Jaloni’s young NCAA run.
Like dropping that big 41-point Big Ten performance or putting together an upset win over Olivia Miles’ TCU squad (18 points plus eight assists), or many other clutch moments where she’s stepped up before-a solid showing by Jaloni against Notre Dame would get attention easily. But honestly , average won’t cut it now. If anyone from Big Ten can lift their level under pressure , it’s definitely Jaloni Cambridge.
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