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Ohio State basketball: Could the Buckeyes miss the NCAA Tournament?

By Jacob Rhymer

Jan 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Zed Key (23) looks to Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann during the second half of the men’s NCAA division I basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Minnesota Minnesota At Ohio State
Jan 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Zed Key (23) looks to Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann during the second half of the men’s NCAA division I basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Minnesota Minnesota At Ohio State /
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The Ohio State basketball team continues its losing ways after dropping their fifth straight game Wednesday night against Nebraska. The 63-60 defeat to the Cornhuskers adds another bad loss to the Buckeye’s résumé. Now the question about this Ohio State basketball team arises: Could the Buckeyes miss the NCAA Tournament?

Coming into the game on Wednesday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Ohio State as a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament. When his newest prediction comes out, the Buckeyes will most likely be on the bubble or completely out of the field of 68.

Ohio State has yet to add a résumé-building win to their résumé this season. They’ve had an opportunity to get that signature win against North Carolina or Purdue, but they couldn’t close them out. Ohio State did beat Texas Tech in Maui, but they are on the outside of the NCAA Tournament bracket. Not quite the résumé-building the Buckeyes are in desperate need of.

The five-game losing streak greatly affects Ohio State’s chances at making the big dance, and the losses to Minnesota and Nebraska weigh the heaviest against them. These defeats will be looked at the most when the NCAA Tournament selection committee is deciding on putting the Buckeyes in the field of 68 or not.

The NCAA Tournament hopes definitely aren’t shot, however. There are still 13 games left in the regular season, and there is a lot of opportunity for the Buckeyes to get some résumé-building wins before the end of the season. They still have to play Iowa, Michigan State, and Illinois twice. Along with match-ups against Purdue, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Maryland.

The quality of opponents the Buckeyes have coming up is good for them to build their résumé, but it could also be bad the way they’ve been trending. The Buckeyes are now second to last in the Big Ten. This Ohio State basketball team is way too talented to miss the NCAA Tournament. It would be a shame if they’re left on the outside looking in when Selection Sunday comes around.

Next. Buckeyes need to share the ball more. dark

The Buckeyes look to snap this winless drought on Saturday when they return home to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tip-off is set for this game at 2:00 ET on FOX.

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