The Buckeyes have a chance, but more work needs to be done.
Following a disheartening loss in Bloomington this weekend, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (17-14, 9-11) is standing on unsteady ground heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
The Buckeyes failed to take care of business down the stretch in the regular season, losing four of their final six games to finish the year below .500 in league play and in 10th-place in the league. They enter the Big Ten tournament as the 10-seed and will face 15-seed Iowa Wednesday night.
Should Ohio State beat Iowa, they would face 7-seed Illinois on Thursday. If this path sounds familiar, it’s probably because it is – last year Ohio State opened the Big Ten Tournament with a win over Iowa before dropping a close one to Illinois the next day.
BRUUUUCE ‼️‼️#B1GMBBT x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/putA31vJnH
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 14, 2024
A win over Iowa would be a Quad-2 win, which will not move the needle much for Ohio State other than holding them steady right where they are. The Illinois game, however, would be a Quad-1 opportunity, and could boost Ohio State’s resume enough to settle them into a First Four game in Dayton.
If Ohio State wins at least one game, the number of “bid stealers” – teams that weren’t on track to make the NCAA Tournament but earn a bid by unexpectedly winning their conference tournament – will determine if the Buckeyes make it or not.
A possible bid thief was thwarted on Sunday afternoon when Drake beat Bradley in the Missouri Valley title game – the Bulldogs would’ve earned an at-large bid regardless, even if Bradley would have won that game and earned an automatic bid. That would’ve made the MVC a two-bid conference, taking away one available bid from bubble teams, like Ohio State.
To sum it all up – one win may get Ohio State in, but they won’t control their own fate. Two wins more than likely lands them in Dayton next week in the First Four.
Here’s where 20 bracketologists have Ohio State plugged in, as of Monday night. If you would like to see the full bracket, click on the name of the website.
ESPN
Ohio State is a 12-seed, playing 12-seed Oklahoma in a First Four play-in game
CBS Sports
Ohio State is the first team out of the NCAA Tournament
131 Sports
Ohio State is a 12-seed, facing 12-seed Indiana in a First Four play-in game
Bracket Odds
Ohio State is a 10-seed, facing 7-seed Missouri
Big Underdog
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed San Diego State in a First Four play-in game
Busting Brackets
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Baylor in a First Four play-in game
Charlie Hergenrother
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Arkansas in a First Four play-in game
The Barking Crow
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game
Delphi Bracketology
Ohio State is a 12-seed, facing 12-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game
Hoops HD
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game
HaslaMetrics
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Arkansas in a First Four play-in game
InCCStats
Ohio State is a 10-seed, facing 7-seed Ole Miss
KyBrackets
Ohio State is a 12-seed, facing 12-seed North Carolina in a First Four play-in game
Kyle Foster Bracketology
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game
On3
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Oklahoma in a First Four play-in game
SB Nation
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed San Diego State in a First Four play-in game
Bart Torvik
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed VCU in a First Four play-in game
Making the Madness
Ohio State is the second team out of the NCAA Tournament
RotoWire
Ohio State is an 11-seed, facing 11-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game
Pirate Ratings Bracketology
Ohio State is a 12-seed, facing 12-seed Xavier in a First Four play-in game