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Meet The Opponent: Ohio State, Indiana Battle For NCAA Tournament Spot

Published

12 months ago

March 6, 2025

Meet The Opponent: Ohio State, Indiana Battle For NCAA Tournament Spot

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s season of ups and downs culminates with a crucial bubble game on senior day Saturday against Ohio State.

The Hoosiers split their trip to the Pacific Northwest with a 78-62 win at Washington and a 73-64 loss at Oregon, dropping to 18-12 overall and 9-10 in Big Ten play. As of Thursday morning, Joe Lunardi placed Indiana among the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State is in similar standing as one of the last four byes to the big dance, according to Lunardi. In their first season under coach Jake Diebler, the Buckeyes are 17-13 overall and 9-10 in the Big Ten after Tuesday’s double-overtime win over Nebraska.

That sets up an NCAA Tournament play-in game of sorts between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes at 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, though both teams could also need a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament, depending on bid stealers and results from other bubble teams.

Here’s a closer look at the Buckeyes ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Key players

Key departures

(2034-24 stats)

2024-25 schedule (17-13, 9-10)

Head coach: Jake Diebler

Diebler is in his first full season as Ohio State’s head coach after taking over for Chris Holtmann late last season as the interim head coach. Diebler went 8-3 with the Buckeyes last season, including a four-game win streak at the end of the regular season, a win in the Big Ten Tournament and two wins in the NIT. Diebler has been on the Ohio State staff since 2019, beginning as an assistant and later being promoted to associate head coach and interim head coach. He was also an assistant at Vanderbilt from 2016-19 and at Valparaiso from 2009-13. Diebler, 38, played at Valparaiso from 2005-09.

Ohio State coach Jake Diebler against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Series history

Indiana leads the all-time series 113-87. The Hoosiers have won four straight games, including a 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State on Jan. 17. Luke Goode led the Hoosiers with 23 points, and Oumar Ballo scored 21. Woodson is 5-1 against the Buckeyes with a 3-0 record in Bloomington. Archie Miller went 1-6. Indiana is 21-23 against Ohio State since 2000.

Strengths

Ohio State ranks 25th nationally in offensive efficiency for a few key reasons. Opponents average just 4.2 steals per game, giving the Buckeyes the nation’s best mark. They shoot 37.5% from 3-point range, good for 32nd. They rank top 75 in both free throw attempts per game and percentage, as well as overall field goal percentage.

The offense is run by three-year starter Bruce Thornton, one of the Big Ten’s best point guards. His 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among conference point guards, behind Braden Smith and Jeremy Fears Jr. He’s also become a greater 3-point shooting threat with a career-best 43.2% this season on 4.4 attempts per game.

Ohio State’s 22.1 3-point attempts per game rank just 209th nationally, but it has several capable shooters. Along with Thornton, freshman John Mobley Jr. shoots 40.2% from three and leads all Big Ten players with 74 made threes. Micah Parrish also shoots a solid 36%, but Ohio State’s 3-point shooting options pretty much stop there. Opponents have shot just 30.2% from beyond the arc against Ohio State, placing it 19th from a defensive standpoint.

Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. (0) against Washington at Value City Arena. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Weaknesses

Indiana’s biggest advantage in this game comes in the front court. Devin Royal is having a breakout sophomore season, going from 4.7 to 13.6 points per game, but at 6-foot-6 he’s giving up a lot of size to Indiana’s 6-foot-9 Malik Reneau and 7-footer Oumar Ballo. Fellow sophomore Sean Stewart starts at center and provides more size at 6-foot-9, but that’s still a mismatch against Ballo, who had 21 points in the first matchup.

The Buckeyes bring 7-footers Aaron Bradshaw and Ivan Njegovan and 6-foot-10 sophomore Austin Parks off the bench, but all three are still young and developing players. Bradshaw, a former top-five recruit and transfer from Kentucky, hasn’t lived up to expectations at 6.5 points per game.

Ohio State is not a strong rebounding team, ranking 215th in offensive rebounding percentage with a minus-0.2 rebounding margin. Expect Indiana to give Ballo and Reneau a heavy dose of touches inside and for its guards to attack the rim.

Season and game outlook

Ohio State was picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big Ten poll, and it’ll finish either ninth or 10th based on Saturday’s outcome. The Buckeyes are No. 36 in the NET rankings, making it a Quad 2 opportunity for Indiana. The Hoosiers are No. 55 in the NET, so it’s a Quad 1 game for Ohio State on the road. Both teams are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and a win Saturday would certainly help them earn a bid. The loser would need to pick up a couple wins next week.

For Big Ten Tournament purposes, it’s pretty simple – the winner is the No. 9 seed and the loser is the No. 10 seed. After the first matchup went to overtime, KenPom projects a 75-74 Indiana victory and gives the Hoosiers a 54% chance of victory Saturday at home. Ohio State has the 3-point shooting advantage and the better point guard, but Indiana’s advantage in the frontcourt is significant.

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Where does Ohio State basketball rank in latest March Madness bracketology?

Published

2 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Where does Ohio State basketball rank in latest March Madness bracketology?

The Ohio State men’s basketball team will host No. 8 Purdue on March 1 while fighting to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes intact.

The Buckeyes have three games left in Big Ten regular-season play and are 17-11 overall and 9-8 in the league. On Feb. 25, they lost 74-57 at Iowa, marking their second consecutive defeat and their first losing streak of the season. Afterward, the Buckeyes struggled to explain why they came apart when the Hawkeyes went on their first run of the game.

The Boilermakers 22-6 overall, 12-5 in the Big Ten and fresh off a 76-74 home loss to No. 13 Michigan State on Feb. 26.

As of Feb. 26, the Buckeyes were ranked No. 38 in the NET rankings used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. They are also No. 46 in Wins Above Bubble, another category being utilized by the committee.

Purdue is No. 7 in the NET, making this a Quad 1 game for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 1-10 in Quad 1.

Here is where Ohio State sits in the major NCAA Tournament projections as it prepares to host the Boilermakers at the Jerome Schottenstein Center:

Ohio State basketball standing in latest bracketology

In a bracket update published Feb. 18, USA Today projects the Buckeyes to make the NCAA Tournament and play in the First Four in Dayton. Ohio State is included as a No. 11 seed, facing fellow No. 11 seed Missouri. The winner of that game would head to Portland to face No. 6 seed Louisville.

Two weeks ago, Ohio State was a No. 10 seed and projected to avoid the First Four in Dayton. Now the Buckeyes are projected second on the list of the final four teams to make the tournament.

Ten Big Ten teams are included in the field, the second-most for any conference after the SEC (11).

In a Feb. 24 update, one day before the Buckeyes lost at Iowa, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Ohio State as the first team not to make the tournament. After the loss, he dropped them to the third team in the first four out.

ESPN’s Bubble Watch noted that the loss now has Ohio State’s odds of making the tournament at about 50%.

CBS has the Buckeyes fourth on its list of the first four out.

The website BracketMatrix.com, which aggregates 118 different bracket projections, has Ohio State as a potential No. 11 seed. The Buckeyes appear in 41 brackets, many of which had not been updated after the Iowa game.

Analytics site BartTorvik.com projects Ohio State as a No. 10 seed and gives the Buckeyes a 52.1% chance to make the tournament as of Feb. 27.

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.

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Ohio State stud Carnell Tate might be the ideal ‘game-changer’ that Giants need

Published

14 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Ohio State stud Carnell Tate might be the ideal ‘game-changer’ that Giants need

INDIANAPOLIS — There are so many questions an NFL team can pose to a top prospect and so many of them have to do with how he will handle the step up to the next level.

And how will he deal with waiting his turn?

These questions do not really apply to Carnell Tate.

Not after the gauntlet he had to pass through in college, trying to find his way and making incremental rises on a depth chart overflowing with talent at his position.

“The competition there, we’re all pushing to be the best receiver on the field that day and that practice,’’ Tate said Friday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine, “and typically, when you’re the best receiver at Ohio State, you’re the best receiver in the country.’’

True, that.

Tate figures to be in play for the Giants with the No. 5 pick in the NFL Draft.

He is widely considered the top receiver in this class — there are certainly Jordyn Tyson supporters out there — and where the Giants prioritize aiding their offense with bolstering their defense will go a long way in determining if they select a wide receiver with their top pick for the second time in three years.

Where they are situated, one or both Ohio State studs, safety Caleb Downs or linebacker Sonny Styles, should be on the board — another Ohio State defender, edge rusher Arvell Reese, could go to the Jets at No. 2.

The Giants unquestionably need another prime target for Jaxson Dart but, when healthy, they already have a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, who was the No. 6 overall pick in 2024.

Investing so much draft equity in another one might not be the most balanced way to build the team in John Harbaugh’s first year as the head coach.

Or, it might be just the ticket to launch the offense.

“You’re always going to want to add more explosiveness to your offense, guys that score touchdowns, wherever that comes from: running back, receiver, tight ends, whatever it may be,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said. “That will be something we’ll look for.’’

There should not be much, or any, concern that Tate will not be a supportive and obliging running mate for Nabers, who made it into only four games last season before a devastating knee injury — he tore his right ACL and meniscus — left Dart without his only lethal weapon.

Tate is not one of those youngsters accustomed to being the top guy during his college experience.

Tate arrived as a five-star recruit in 2023 but how the heck was he supposed to break into the starting lineup with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — both future first round picks — ahead of him?

In 2024, Tate was overshadowed by freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.

Tate had to wait for his opportunities and while he did, he concentrated on becoming a better all-around player, developing his ability as a blocker on the perimeter.

In three seasons, Tate totaled 121 receptions for 1,872 yards.

He notched nine of his 14 touchdowns during the 2025 season.

Tate is often likened to Chris Olave, another former Buckeyes wideout.

Olave was a 2022 first-round pick of the Saints and has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four NFL seasons.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) and Garrett Wilson (Jets) are also former Ohio State receivers tearing it up in the NFL.

“It means a lot to me and it’s also a lot on your shoulders,’’ Tate said of the legacy. “Now you got to be the next one to come out there and put on for the school and carry the Receiver U.’’

Tate lining up on one side and Nabers — who is expected to be fully recovered in the spring or by training camp — lining up on the other side would be quite a combination for Dart.

“It would be great,’’ said Tate, who this week had a formal meeting with the Giants. “It would be a great opportunity, especially playing in New York. Big showcase. I’d love to go out there and play in New York.’’

Wan’Dale Robinson, mostly a slot receiver, is an impending free agent.

If he does not return, it would drain the passing game of the 92 receptions for 1,014 yards he contributed in 2025.

Veteran Darius Slayton is coming off a poor seventh year with the Giants.

At 6-foot-3, Tate has ideal height and he is lean at 195 pounds.

He will run the 40-yard dash in Indy but otherwise wait for his Pro Day to work out for NFL executives, coaches and scouts.

Without sounding boastful, Tate does not lack confidence.

“I think my game brings it all to the table,’’ he said. “I got the contested catch, I got the route-running and I also bring it in the run game, a lot of receivers don’t do that. I’m able to impact the game with or without the ball in my hands.

“If you want a game-changer, you got one right here.’’

The best wide receiver in this draft class?

“Me, no question,’’ Tate said.

“Whatever you need to do, I got it.’’

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Ohio woman sentenced in $775,000 Medicaid scheme

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

COLUMBUS — A Lake County woman was sentenced this morning to jail time and ordered to pay $775,000 in restitution for fraudulently billing Medicaid, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced. “She inflated her earnings through brazen fraud, but her scheme burst wide open when our investigators got the case,” Yost said. “Cheating taxpayers comes with […]

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