Ohio State Basketball Projected to Make NCAA Tournament
According to two well-known and respected bracketologists,the Ohio State men’s basketball team has,to this point,done enough to break into the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2022.
Jake Diebler’s second Ohio State team is 8-2 through the first 10 games of the season, the program’s second-best start over the last seven years. Though, the high winning percentage thus far is partially due to the level of competition the Buckeyes have faced – of their eight wins, five of them were over teams outside of the top-200 in the NET rankings. The other three teams they have beaten, Notre Dame, Northwestern, and West Virginia, sit outside of the top-50.
The Buckeyes’ 67-66 loss to pitt on November 28 will act as an ankle weight on their NCAA Tournament hopes all season. Damarco Minor’s buzzer-beater at the Petersen Events Center may end up being ohio state’s undoing, as the Panthers are currently 167 in the NET and 117 in KenPom, with home losses to Quinnipiac and Hofstra on their resume.
If Ohio State does wind up making the big dance this year, their seeding will be at least one rung lower than it could have been because of that loss to the Panthers.