You can now rest a little easier Buckeye fans. Ohio State has been squarely on the bubble it seems for the last month or so, and even slid out of some tournament projections after the three-game losing streak to end the season.
Then came a game against Indiana in which the Buckeyes simply had to have to survive and boost its chances to get into the Big Dance. They took care of business and in the ever-changing world of the bubble watch, it now appears as though Ohio State is safely into the tournament.
According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, who has been a little more pessimistic about Ohio State’s chances, he now has it in as a No. 11 seed, and not even a part of the first four in Dayton. That’s a significant change to the Buckeyes being the first team out just two days ago in his Bracketology projections.
And then there’s CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm who has had Ohio State in better standing than some of the others. To him, the win didn’t change much other than keeping the Buckeyes from falling. He has them as a No. 11 seed as well, right around where they’ve been the last few days.
There’s also the Bracket Matrix that takes a look at a slew of bracket projections out there. You have to be careful, because the view can be a lot like spaghetti models for Hurricane projections, but the news is good there as well.
The Buckeyes appear in 97 of 119 brackets there, up from being in the eighties just yesterday prior to the Indiana matchup.
So it certainly looks like Ohio State is going dancing. The seed could change a little with a loss to Michigan State later today, but if you were planning on making plans for the NCAA Tournament, you’re probably safe to go ahead and take the day off.
