The Ohio State men’s basketball team has lost three in a row and continue to slide off the proverbial NCAA Tournament bubble with each and every one. It could burst at any time.
It was skating on thin ice already before last night, but in case you were sleeping or didn’t catch up with the news, Gonzaga got beat by Saint Mary’s out in the West Coast Conference Championship Game and now gets an automatic bid to the dance. Of course the Zags already have their dancing shoes on, so that means one-less bid available. The Gaels were not getting in without the shocker.
And Joe Lunardi is looking at you now Ohio State. He had the Buckeyes as the very last team getting into the tournament prior to last night, and now with one more place spoken for unexpectedly, the Buckeyes are now on the outside looking precariously in — at least as it stands right now. And of course, with all the league championship tournaments going on, the situation is one of flux, especially on the eve of Ohio State’s game against bubble colleague Indiana.
But take heart Buckeye fans. The news is a little better with Jerry Palm’s CBS Bracketology. Even with the loss of another spot in the field last night, he still has the scarlet and gray somewhat safely in as a No. 11 seed. That would suggest that even with a loss, Ohio State could still gain an at-large bid to the tournament.
If you’re Chris Holtmann and company though, they shouldn’t take it for granted. A win over Indiana would almost assuredly punch a ticket to the dance barring any major stunners with a team coming off-the-radar to win one of the bigger conference tournaments.
So it all boils down to win Thursday and in, lose and hope hope to get in by the thinnest of margins. Yes, perhaps no other team is the very definition of a bubble team than your Ohio State Buckeyes.
