If Selection Sunday took place today, Ohio State would not be among the top 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
At best, the Buckeyes would be a No. 5 seed, as Ohio State was not listed among the top four seeds in each region of CBS' bracket preview show on Saturday. The Buckeyes were one of three teams that received consideration for a No. 4 seed, according to committee chair and Southland conference commissioner Tom Burnett, but did not make the cut.
Ohio State is ranked No. 18 in the the AP poll and is No. 17 in both the NET rankings and according to KenPom. The Buckeyes have four quadrant one wins this season, including a win over Duke, which was listed as a No. 2 seed and the No. 8 team overall on the bracket preview show. Ohio State is 16-6 this season with a 9-4 record in conference play.
The top 16 seeds - in bracket form! #BracketPreview pic.twitter.com/BLfK2pxRGO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 19, 2022
Gonzaga, Auburn, Arizona and Kansas were listed as the four No. 1 seeds, and just three Big Ten teams were represented in the top 16. Purdue was the highest-ranked Big Ten program, coming in as a No. 2 seed and listed at No. 7 overall, while Illinois and Wisconsin were No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.
The Buckeyes next take the court at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when they take on Iowa at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
