COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State guard Linnae Harper has played plenty of basketball games, but this past Friday's contest still produced some butterflies.

"I woke up super early and I couldn't even eat, that's how excited I was," she said after making her first appearance as a Buckeye since transferring from Kentucky. "I was very anxious and nervous to hear my name called. My hands were shaking."

There was nothing for the Buckeyes to be nervous about overall, though, as they waltzed over Alabama State 118-61. In a nonconference season that's had some tough tests for No. 12 Ohio State -- including losses to South Carolina, Baylor and Miami -- this was the opposite: an automatic win against an overmatched opponent. A chance to build confidence and chemistry, two things the Buckeyes have been working on a lot.

But next they go back to the complete other end of the spectrum in competition: facing No. 1 UConn in Hartford, Connecticut, on Monday night.

'Around the Rim' with LaChina Robinson Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell shares her thoughts on her expectations for the season, her ability to be an efficient scorer, her relationship with her father, and talks about why she had to once dress like a boy to play basketball. Listen

The 9-3 Buckeyes now have their whole team together. Harper is eligible to play, and fellow transfer Stephanie Mavunga came back Friday for the first time since Nov. 27 after missing four games with a sore knee. She had 23 points to lead seven Buckeyes in double figures; Harper and All-American Kelsey Mitchell each had 15.

We've known from the start that Ohio State is different this year, incorporating new players and trying to be, as coach Kevin McGuff puts it, more flexible in its style of play.

Of course, things still revolve around Mitchell. But in the point guard role now, she has more decisions to make because the Buckeyes at their best will have more options.

"We're going to have to hang our hat on execution," McGuff said, "whereas the last couple of years, our style was based on speed, quickness, spacing.

"We want to keep Kelsey playing to her strengths but also evolve where we can play different ways. Where she can still be incredibly impactful but still get these new players involved."

But the Huskies are better than any other team at disrupting an opponent's ability to execute. By the same token, they demolish teams that are not disciplined enough to keep trying hard to run their sets.

UConn's 84-game winning streak is a testament to -- among other things -- the Huskies' ability to prevent opponents from ever feeling they have a sense of control in the game.

It happened to Ohio State early last season, when UConn visited Columbus in November and clobbered the Buckeyes 100-56. Mitchell was held to eight points on 2-of-14 shooting, with five turnovers.

Personnel-wise, this is a very different UConn team minus Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson, who combined to score 60 points and shoot 54.7 percent from the field last year at Ohio State (while helping to hold the Buckeyes to 33.3 percent).

Yet as we've all seen thus far, the departure of last year's big three for UConn hasn't made the Huskies any more vulnerable. They're still No. 1 and unbeaten (9-0).

Mitchell knows what Ohio State is up against, but she also thinks she learned something from last year's loss to UConn, crushing as it was. Plus, her team is notably different this season in terms of personnel.

"I got into foul trouble early against them last year, and you can't do that against a team that's really talented like that," Mitchell said. "It's really important that I stay on my p's and q's defensively.

"And offensively, stay with the course. We're a team that likes to push the ball, so it's going to be about being smart, knowing what you can do and can't do. Last year, everything was a little rushed."

Mitchell, who averaged 26.1 points last season, is at 22.7 this year. Ask how she is handling the point guard role with this squad and she says with a smile, "I don't think I'm doing as bad as I thought I would, but I've still got a lot of growing to do in that area. Playing a team like UConn will help me.

"I feel like I'm in a whole different place on the court and off the court [this season]. Seeing things before they happen and being able to slow myself down."

She's also focusing on being more comfortable vocally and as a leader, being a little less shy in situations. Harper has worked on her leadership, too, in her time away from being able to play.

McGuff clearly knew what challenges would be in store after bringing in transfers like Harper, Mavunga and Sierra Calhoun (Duke). This is an Ohio State team with more size and potential combinations.

"It can be hard, but it's a good problem to have," he said. "I like the kids we have. They're the right kids, and we're kind of evolving in how we're going to play and use them."