Ohio State Men's Basketball March Madness Early Outlook: How Far Can the Buckeyes Go?

The Ohio State Buckeyes are prepping themself for a big matchup in their first game of the Big Ten tournament Thursday against Penn State at 9 p.m. in Indianapolis, Indiana. They ended up finishing fifth in the Big Ten with a 12-8 record in the conference and 19-10 overall.

The Buckeyes will be looking to make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament to give them a better position to succeed in the NCAA tournament. They have the talent, but will they be able to put it all together with a consistent run in the crazy month of March.

Let’s look ahead and see how fair this Ohio State team will go this season.

Big Ten Tournament Look-Ahead

The Buckeyes know that they will be playing a Penn State team who beat Minnesota in their first game in the Big Ten Tournament. If Ohio State were to win, they will face the third ranked Purdue Boilermakers who earned themselves a double-bye since they finished in the top four.

Illinois, Wisconsin, and Rutgers all were able to do the same and find themselves safely in the quarterfinals. Teams like the Buckeyes have more to do to get there since the fifth through tenth teams in the conference only get a one-round bye.

NCAA Tournament Outlook

Ohio State is the sixth seed in the latest Joe Lunardi Bracketology which leaves them in a good situation in which they can improve on that position. Losing early in the Big Ten tournament may hurt their seed a little bit, but they will still be in the tournament.

On the other hand, if the Buckeyes can make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament, they could improve to anywhere from a three to five seed. This would not only make their first-round matchup easier but would also set them up for a better second-round matchup if they were to win their first game.

By the Numbers

Ohio State’s strongest stat all season has been their shooting effectiveness on the offensive end. They have an effective field goal percentage of 54.9% (20th), a two-point percentage of 54.2% (34th), and a three-point percentage of 37.3% (28th). If they are able to shoot the ball this well and take advantage of their possessions, they will be a hard team to stop.

Their lack of possessions is the factor that will hurt the Buckeyes greatly. Because of their size, they are not able to rebound the ball well against teams that play big. They rank 190th in total rebounds per game which includes 7.8 on the offensive end (229th) and 24.3 on the defensive end (107th). They won’t get any taller overnight and will need to shoot efficiently to make up for it.

Expected Run

I expect the Buckeyes to win their first game of the tournament and not go past that point because they have been inconsistent at the end of this season. They have the ability to change that around with this pre-tournament test in the conference tournament, but with the way they stand now, I wouldn’t bet the Buckeyes to go far.

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