The Ohio State basketball program had been searching for a resume-defining win all season long. Close losses to North Carolina, Michigan, and Virginia were heartbreakers. All of those wins would have been Quad 1 wins against ranked opponents. Instead, they left with losses.
On Tuesday night, the Buckeyes were finally able to get a big win against Wisconsin. It was a game that Ohio State was able to win, and it was a blowout. Wisconsin had been riding high with two big wins over ranked opponents, so this win was desperately needed by the Ohio State Buckeyes.
With this win, the Buckeyes have put themselves on the right side of the bubble. Prior to this game, Ohio State was on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament field by several bracketologists. Now, ESPN has the Buckeyes in the field after that win.
The Ohio State basketball team is projected to be in March Madness after big win
After this win, Neil Paine of ESPN has Ohio State moved up to the top of the "Work to Do" category. With that win, they have moved themselves to the top of the bubble. If they win the games they should win down the stretch, they have a shot to make it.
If Ohio State is able to pull off an upset against Michigan State or Purdue, then it will seal up a spot in March Madness. They could win some games in the Big Ten Tournament to help them, as well. Of course, they would feel a lot better if they had their spot sealed up before then.
Jake Diebler was finally able to get his guys to close out a close game. The Buckeyes need to ride this wave of momentum for the rest of the regular season. They are still in search of their first NCAA Tournament berth in four years.