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Ohio State basketball’s matchup in the Big Ten Tournament

By Ryan Stano

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) hits a three pointer against Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) during the first half of their game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 6, 2021.Osu Mens Bbk 0306 Kwr 09
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) hits a three pointer against Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) during the first half of their game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 6, 2021.Osu Mens Bbk 0306 Kwr 09 /
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The Ohio State basketball team failed to get the double-bye that is awarded to the top four finishers in the conference, so they only get a single-bye.

Ohio State basketball is not in the best place right now. They lost four straight games to finish out the regular season. They have fallen now to 9th in the polls, which is actually higher than I believe they deserve to be ranked. Now they turn their attention to the Big Ten Tournament.

Because of their horrendous slide at the end of the year, they were not able to secure a double-bye in the Tournament. They are the 5th seed and just get one single bye. Ohio State will play the winner of the 12/13 matchup between Minnesota and Northwestern.

The Buckeyes will play one of these teams on Thursday. Unfortunately, these are two teams that have already beaten the Ohio State basketball team this season. Ohio State will be looking for a matter of revenge no matter which of these teams they face.

Minnesota only played Ohio State once and clobbered them. The Buckeyes lost 77-60 and the game was never competitive at any point. It was the only game that Ohio State wasn’t competitive in until this recent slide of four losses in a row. The Iowa game in that slide was also non-competitive.

Northwestern beat Ohio State in Evanston by one point after the Buckeyes choked the game away. They lost 71-70 and the game never should have been that close. The second matchup was better for Chris Holtmann’s squad as the Buckeyes won 81-71.

Neither one of these teams are guaranteed wins, especially the way Ohio State has struggled in the final few minutes of games. If either team is able to keep the game close at the end, Ohio State could find themselves in trouble yet again.

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Even if they are able to beat either of these teams, then they would have to play Purdue. Purdue swept Ohio State this season, so no matter what their path won’t be easy in the Big Ten Tournament.

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