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Ohio State is in danger of not making it to the 2024 NCAA March Madness due to its mediocre performance in the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes (15-11) are only 5-10 in the conference classification, which is second worst.
The 2023-24 NCAA Men's Basketball Season kicked off smoothly as Ohio State went 12-2 in their first 14 games. The next 11 matches, however, went from good to worst in an instant as they lost nine of their last 11 games.
They twice dropped their matches against Wisconsin and Indiana and lost once to Texas A&M, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa.
The tailspin also led to the firing of Chris Holtmann, who was fired by the school after Ohio State's second loss against Wisconsin.
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Ohio State went 4-1 in their final four games of the regular season under interim HC Jake Diebler, with road wins against Michigan State and Rutgers (their only two wins away from home).
The Buckeyes went into the Big Ten tournament on a high note, winning their first round matchup against Iowa on the road in convincing fashion. However, they went on to lose their second round clash against Illinois, knocking them out of contention for the Big Ten title.
Following the loss, Ohio State are virtually out of the tournament, and will enter Selection Sunday as a fringe bubble team.
Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA Tournament history
The Buckeyes have qualified in 27 NCAA tournaments starting in 1939. The last time they made the tournament proper was in 2022, when they made it to the second round. They beat Loyola-Chicago in the first round but fell to a 71-61 defeat over Villanova.
The only time Ohio State won the national championship was in 1960. They made it to the finals in four other instances, with the last in 2007 when they succumbed to Florida.
Ohio State March Madness odds
Ohio is not ranked in the AP Poll due to its mediocre standing in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are 12th in the 14-team Big Ten field with a 5-10 win-loss mark and 15-11 overall. The firing of Holtmann in the middle of the season should not affect the players in the crucial stages of the season.
RealGM has placed Ohio State's odds to win the championship at +50000, while its preseason national championship odds are at +8000. On the other hand, its pre-new year national championship odds are +10000.
Bracketology projections from TeamRankings.com give Ohio State a 1.0% chance of reaching the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes are given a 0.4% of making the tourney as its No. 12 seed. They have a 0.0% chance of winning the tournament.
Ohio State basketball strengths
Defense
The Buckeyes are one of the top 4 teams in the Big Ten Conference in terms of blocks. They have averaged 4.6 bpg. The team also allowed 69.7 ppg.
Free throw accuracy
Ohio State is second in free throw percentage in the Big Ten, averaging 76.2% behind Iowa.
Ohio State basketball weaknesses
Offense
The Buckeyes are in the bottom half of the Big Ten in points scored. They have tallied 74.4 points per contest on 44.5% field goal accuracy (11th).
Steals
Ohio State is not fond of taking risks to improve their chances of scoring. They are 12th in the conference in steals with 5.3 spg.
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