This is March.
With three losses in its last four games and a number of injuries plaguing the roster, Ohio State is limping its way to the NCAA Tournament, but has a chance to finish the season strong with a quality run in March.
Ohio State hasn't reached the Sweet Sixteen since the 2013 NCAA Tournament and have never made it out of the final weekend under current head coach Chris Holtmann. Is this the year the Buckeyes buck the trend, or will it be another first weekend exit for Ohio State?
Here's a look at how far we see the Buckeyes' tournament run going.
Griffin Strom – Second Round
If Kyle Young and Zed Key both play, the Buckeyes will win their opening matchup in the NCAA Tournament. With Joey Brunk’s interior presence being a welcome addition for Ohio State in the past few games, the Buckeyes should have a marked advantage inside, and have too much offensive talent with E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham to have another flat performance after some much-needed rest. The run stops there, though, as I don’t envision Ohio State getting past Collin Gillespie, Villanova and KenPom’s 11th-ranked offense in the second round, should the Wildcats avoid an upset against Delaware.
Chris Lauderback – Second Round
Even if Zed Key and Kyle Young return for the Buckeyes, I think we're staring down the barrel of another NCAA Tournament in which Ohio State doesn't reach the second weekend. I do expect Chris Holtmann's squad to come out with some aggression against Loyola and eventually ride E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham to a roughly five-point win. The dream ends there however as Villanova does what No. 2 seeds are supposed to do and reaches the Sweet 16 via a 7-8 point win to end Ohio State's season.
Dan Hope – First Round
I usually go with my gut when filling out my NCAA Tournament bracket, and my gut reaction as I watched the selection show on Sunday was that a date with Sister Jean was bad news for the Buckeyes. On paper, Ohio State should be able to beat Loyola – and I think the Buckeyes could beat Villanova if they can get past the Ramblers – but the more talented team doesn’t always win in March Madness, and Loyola has a recent history of overperforming in March. I’ll take the team entering the NCAA Tournament with momentum over the team that’s lost four of its last five games.
Ramzy Nasrallah – First Round
The best version of this Ohio State basketball team has four notable attributes: 1) it’s healthy, which keeps the unplayable third of this roster from ever seeing meaningful minutes 2) it plays 40 minutes without sustaining a single scoring drought of greater than four minutes 3) when anyone beneath Kyle Young or Zed Key sub in and are playing in the post, the guards on the floor realize there’s no backside help and make stopping dribble-drives a priority 4) it plays its best basketball after the Under 8-minute timeout in the 2nd half. That version of Ohio State basketball is currently unavailable.
The one we’ve all seen for the past month will mercifully end its season this weekend.
Kevin Harrish – Sweet 16
Over the years, I've learned that when it comes to predicting games, everyone is an idiot. By that, I mean that if everyone seems to be picking one way, you should probably go the other way. Vegas doesn't usually give away free money. That's been especially true with Ohio State – whatever you expect to happen, the opposite happens. So with everyone picking the Buckeyes to make an early exit, I'm going against the grain and predicting they win a couple. At its best, this team has proven it can hang with anyone and they have two future first-round picks. Stringing together a couple of wins is far more possible than most people think, even with the current injury situation.
Garrick Hodge – Second Round
Ohio State will ultimately lose in the round of 32 to Villanova. I don't really have a scientific explanation. I just know that it absolutely feels like Loyola will win the first round matchup, so as March Madness law dictates, Buckeyes by three. Prepare any and all Sister Jean crying Jordan memes. That said, the fun stops when the Buckeyes face No. 2 Villanova Sunday.
