With their 94-62 win over Penn State on Wednesday night, Ohio State got one step closer to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. The Buckeyes improved to 19-11 (11-8 in the Big Ten) on the season. Ohio State is on the bubble and has been for quite some time. February was a rough month for Jake Diebler and the men of the Scarlet and Gray.
Their NCAA Tournament chances seemed to take one step forward and then one step back last month. After going 2-2, Ohio State seemed to have turned a corner when they upset #24 Wisconsin in Columbus, 86-69. They followed that win with a stumble against Michigan State and found themselves at 3-3 during the month, and 17-10 overall. They then fell in a must-win against Iowa, 74-57. It was the first time this season that Ohio State had lost back-to-back games, and they finished off February 3-4.
Another bad or questionable loss would (and still may) burst the Buckeyes bubble, and a top ten team was coming to town. Getting March off to a good start with the 82-74 upset of #8 Purdue seemed to turn things around. Somehow, Jake Diebler has Matt Painter's number, being 3-0 against the Boilermakers. With the win against Penn State, Ohio State won back-to-back games for the first time since January against UCLA and Minnesota. These are also the only two times the Buckeyes have won consecutive Big Ten games.
Ohio State will try to get a third straight Big Ten win for the first time this season, since it last did in January of last year. A win against the Indiana Hoosiers on Senior Day in Columbus will be another step closer to getting the NCAA Tournament; it still won't quite guarantee a berth. A loss, however, could possibly knock the Buckeyes out of March Madness, short of a miraculous Big Ten Tournament run.
Behind 28 points from John Mobley Jr. and 18 points from Bruce Thornton, Ohio State had just the kind of game you need when you are essentially in win-or-go-home mode. The Buckeyes were 34 of 51 from the field, shooting an astounding 67%, and were even better from beyond the arc. Ohio State was 16 of 23 for 70% from three-point range. The Bucks are that much closer to March Madness.