How Ohio State can make March Madness

The Ohio State basketball team has not made March Madness in four straight seasons. Could 2024 be their year?

Mar 3, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) is front and center
Mar 3, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) is front and center / Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Ohio State basketball team started their season winning 12 out of the first 14 games. Then, they lost 9 of their next 11. With those losses, Chris Holtmann was removed.

Right now Ohio State is not expected to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but there are some things they can do to help their case. They would have to win the Big Ten conference tournament in March, and of course, beat Rutgers. Beating Rutgers on the road will be hard to do though, as the RAC is one of the toughest places to play in the country. Even though Rutgers isn’t much better than Ohio State getting a road win will be tough

So far they've beaten Alabama who was ranked 16th, and Purdue who was ranked 3rd. They have about a slim chance to make it right now. They will need some teams that are currently sitting on the bubble to fall off, including a couple of teams that are in the Big Ten, like Nebraska, Northwestern, and Minnesota.

If the Ohio State basketball team doesn't win the Big Ten Tournament, they can still make the NCAA Tournament by winning at least two games in the Big Ten Tournament. That will at least put them on the bubble and force the committee to make a tough decision.

Making the NCAA Tournament might be enough for Jake Diebler to keep the head coaching job full-time next year. It would be really hard for Ross Bjork to tell Diebler to go away after he took a team that was dead in the water into the postseason.

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It will be hard to do but Ohio State has a chance. They just have to keep up with the strong defense that they have been playing in the last couple of weeks and that will keep them in every game they play.