Where Ohio State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions

For the first time in four years, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is going to play in the NCAA Tournament.

A four-game winning streak that came to an end with a four-point loss to No. 1 seed Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals pushed the Buckeyes firmly from the March Madness bubble to safely in the field. After Ohio State went shot-for-shot against the Wolverines, coach Jake Diebler said one of the season’s goals was to not just be playing to make the NCAA Tournament, but to be playing meaningful games in March with the chance to earn a better seed.

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The result of the game was that the Buckeyes could then spend the next 48 hours leading into the NCAA Tournament selection show wondering where they would be seeded, not whether or not they would be in the field.

As the selection show looms at 6 p.m. March 15, here’s where the Buckeyes sit in the overall NCAA Tournament picture:

Where is Ohio State in NCAA Tournament bracketology?

In a March 13 update, before Ohio State’s game against Michigan, USA Today projected the Buckeyes as a No. 9 seed playing No. 8 seed Clemson in Greenville, North Carolina. The winner of that game would likely get a second-round matchup with No. 1 seed Duke.

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The next day, USA Today’s bubble watch noted that teams with 100% odds to make the NCAA Tournament according to BartTorvik.com are “locks” but did not include the Buckeyes on that list despite having 100% odds to make the tournament. Ohio State is instead classified as “likely in.”

BracketMatrix.com, which aggregates 111 different bracket projections, has Ohio State included in all 111 ranging from a No. 7 to a No. 10 seed.

As of March 14 at 1:50 p.m., ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had the Buckeyes as a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 seed Villanova in Tampa for the right to likely face No. 1 seed Florida in the second round.

As of 10:19 a.m. March 14, CBS had No. 8 seed Ohio State playing No. 9 seed Saint Mary’s in the first round.

Where is Ohio State in the NET rankings?

On the final day before the bracket was revealed, Ohio State was No. 30 in the NET rankings used by the selection committee to select the field. The Buckeyes were also No. 31 in Wins Above Bubble (WAB).

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.