The Ohio State basketball program let another golden opportunity slip away from them. They had a shot to solidify their place in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, they lost to Indiana after holding the lead for more of the second half. It's something that has plagued this team all year.
Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes have some serious work to do in the Big Ten Tournament. They have to win at least two games to give themselves a chance of being on the bubble. The Buckeyes know who their first-round opponent will be in the Big Ten Tourney in Indianapolis.
The Buckeyes will be taking on Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday. The game will be on Peacock. It will be broadcast about a half hour after Northwestern and Minnesota have finished their game. That's when Ohio State gets their chance.
The Ohio State basketball team will take on Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament
If the Buckeyes somehow beat the Hawkeyes, they will play Illinois on Thursday in what would be the final game of the day. They have to win that game if they want to continue their season. Beating both Iowa and Illinois would give them a chance at doing just that.
Ohio State was able to beat Iowa in the only meeting they had this season. They won that game 82-65 at home in the Schott. When they played Illinois, they lost on the road 87-79 in a game that they could have won. They have to focus on the Hawkeyes first, though.
If the Buckeyes lose to Iowa, there is an excellent chance that they will be playing in the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament. If they can't beat a bad Iowa team, they don't deserve to play in the NCAA Tournament. They've had plenty of chances to pick up easy wins.
It seems like this season is slipping away from Ohio State. They have finished this season about as poorly as possible. It has been a nightmare finish for Jake Diebler in his first full year as head coach.