Did the Buckeyes throw away a top-four seed after a lopsided loss to UCLA? Here is what the bracketologists say.
In the final full month of the NCAA women’s basketball season, the NCAA Tournament committee releases two top-16 seeding rankings. These rankings give the public who the committee thinks have proven themselves enough to host the first two rounds of March Madness.
Contrary to the men’s tournament, the women’s side does not have neutral site venues in the opening rounds of March Madness. Instead, the top four seeds in each region host the first two rounds, with whoever wins in those 16 arenas heading to either Spokane, Washington or Birmingham, Alabama for the Sweet Sixteen and beyond. Then, it all culminates in Tampa Bay, Florida for the Final Four.
So, on the women’s side, it’s more than just matchups, but home court advantage.
Ohio State women’s basketball started at No. 14 in the first release on Feb. 16. Between then and the second release on Feb. 27, the Buckeyes won three out of four, but the loss came to an unranked Indiana Hoosiers side, away from Columbus. That dropped Ohio State to No. 16 on the final ranking.
Since then, the Buckeyes lost two of three, and one in spectacular fashion to the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, 75-46.
So, has that pushed the Scarlet and Gray out of a top-four seed? Another drop makes sense, even if the Maryland Terrapins defeat was in overtime and the Bruins ended up going all the way in the conference tournament. The experts think a little differently.
Her Hoop Stats
The popular independent women’s basketball media site kept the Buckeyes a No. 4 seed
Her Hoop Stats – https://herhoopstats.com/bracketology/
Ohio State hosts the Ball State Cardinals, who are predicted to win the MAC tournament that starts Wednesday. In the regular season, the Buckeyes defeated the Cardinals 80-48. Then, should the top seeds move on, it’s the Tennessee Volunteers, who the Buckeyes defeated twice in the past two seasons, although that was before new head coach Kim Caldwell took over the team.
Her Hoop Stats has the South Carolina Gamecocks as the No. 1 seed in Ohio State’s region, meaning if the Buckeyes want to put together a Cinderella run, it would likely go through the top team in the SEC.
ESPN
What about the Worldwide Leader in Sports? Well, they too have the Buckeyes as a No. 4 seed, through the work of bracketologist Charlie Creme.
ESPN – https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30423107/ncaa-women-bracketology-2025-women-college-basketball-projections
There are similarities to Her Hoop Stats, mainly getting matched up with the South Carolina Gamecocks and that’s about it.
Ohio State plays the Horizon League Tournament champs from Green Bay, thankfully not led by head coach Doug Gottlieb. Should the Buckeyes make it to the second round, it’s a matchup potentially against former Ohio State guard Diana Collins who transferred to Tuscaloosa, Alabama after one season in Columbus.
A reason the Buckeyes are projected as a No. 4 seed is due in part to the play of the Crimson Tide. Alabama swooped in to a top-16 spot following a win over the then-No. 7 LSU Tigers, in overtime.
Since then, Alabama lost to the Oklahoma Sooners on the last day of the season and the Florida Gators in the second round of the SEC Tournament, a Gator team that had a 14-16 record in the regular season.
CBS
The home of the men’s NCAA Tournament coverage also put the Buckeyes as a No. 4 seed in the women’s edition of March Madness. However, they did not release a full bracket, but the way they chose the order of the seeding has Ohio State as the No. 15 team in the tournament.
CBS has the Buckeyes in the same region as the South Carolina Gamecocks, similar to ESPN’s breakdown.
In the seeding, CBS also placed the Baylor Bears as a No. 4 seed, a side that did not end up in any of the NCAA Tournament top-16 rankings but came on strong late in the season. Baylor also benefited from the downfall of Alabama and another side — the Big 12’s Kansas State.
K-State was ranked in the top-16 for both committee releases, landing at No. 15 on Feb. 27. Since then, the Wildcats lost two of three games to close out the season, including a quarterfinal exit in the Big 12 Tournament to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Now, Bracketology is not an exact science, and the chances of one of them being 100% accurate have similar chances to a fan picking a 100% perfect bracket. Either way, it bodes well for Ohio State.
No one will really know until Sunday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET. That is when ESPN airs the selection show, walking through the entire 68-team field. Will the Buckeyes host or get on a plane for the first two rounds?
Either way, watch Land-Grant for updates from the Scarlet and Gray up until, and throughout, the NCAA Tournament.