Ohio State basketball isn’t quite at the point where it is considered the Last Team In; however, it might be inching that way. With several key losses in the last few weeks and bad defeats against Northwestern and Pitt on their resume, the Buckeyes aren’t looking like a premier NCAA Tournament side.
That said, they do have a few Quad 1 wins against teams like Kentucky and Purdue, and those count for quite a bit when looking for at-large bids. Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s main bracket expert who consistently releases updates to his Field of 68, has provided another for fans to review.
This time, Ohio State has dropped from in the tournament to one of the Last Four In, so it still has some wiggle room as it isn’t at the level of Boise State, which is considered the Last Team In. In his updated scenario, the Buckeyes would take on Arkansas in the First Four, a set of games prior to the real first round in which 32 games are played and half of the teams are knocked out.
With Nebraska at home tonight, the Buckeyes will need a huge win to really prove they belong.
Ohio State will round out its season with a battle against the Indiana Hoosiers on the road this Saturday. That could be a very important win if the Buckeyes are able to come out on top. Ohio State sits outside the top-eight teams in the Big Ten with an 8-10 record ahead of these last two contests, so while it does have the Big Ten Tournament coming up, it likely will need to showcase what it can do in these last two games to really solidify a spot in March Madness.
The Buckeyes, thankfully, control their own fate. Win these last two games, and they should be dancing. Lose one of them, and they likely need some Big Ten Tournament help to build their case.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Lunardi’s Bracketology update severely impacts Ohio State basketball
