Ohio State basketball team officially left out of March Madness

The Ohio State basketball team was hoping to possibly get into the NCAA Tournament. They needed to beat Illinois in order to secure their place in March Madness. Just beating Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament wasn't going to be enough. In the end, that ended up being true.

The bracket has been released and the Ohio State basketball program is not in it. They won't have a shot to win a national championship. Jake Diebler turned around a team that was dead in the water and gave them a reason to hope for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Diebler was rewarded with the head coaching job though. He finished the season 6-2 with the Buckeyes, including the crushing loss to Illinois. The Buckeyes rallied around Diebler and clearly responded to the changes he made to both the offensive and the defensive game plans.

While the Buckeyes won't get a shot to play for a national title, the Buckeyes will likely get a shot to play in the NIT and play some postseason basketball. Ohio State can still win something for Diebler, even though it won't be a national championship.

Ohio State did win the NIT back in 2007 under Thad Matta. It's still a chance for them to develop as a young team and keep the momentum going into next year. They still need to develop some leadership next season with Jamison Battle and Zed Key leaving.

To even be in a position where the Buckeyes thought they had a dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament is a testament to how well this team played at the end of the regular season. This team should be proud that they never quit and fought to the very end.

We will let you know if and when the Buckeyes accept an NIT bid and where they will be seeded.