Latest NCAA Tournament projections for Ohio State men’s basketball

Last night on The Bachelor, Colton (finally) jumped over the fence. In a way, that’s a lot like the same thing that’s happening in the world of college basketball, as teams are frantically trying to run off into the clear — and with a ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament.

One of those teams teetering on the edge are the Ohio State Buckeyes. With an 18-11 record, the Buckeyes’ huge win over Iowa last week was marred with a horrific loss at Purdue over the weekend. And with Indiana beating Michigan State on Saturday, coupled with Iowa falling apart, passage to the Big Dance isn’t a lock just yet for Chris Holtmann’s squad.

But, before we head into postseason play, let’s look at what OSU has in front of them, and where they currently stand in the eyes of the prognosticators.

What’s left on the schedule?

With two games left on the regular season schedule, there’s only one contest with a ranked opponent remaining — and it’s slated to happen at Value City Arena.

vs. No. 21 Wisconsin — March 10 (4:30 p.m. ET | CBS)

Then a “must-win” game to pad the résumé happens on Wednesday night in Evanston. The Buckeyes are 4-6 on the road this season.

@ Northwestern — March 6 (9 p.m. ET | BTN)

What are the projections saying?

CBS Sports (Jerry Palm) — Updated shortly before Tuesday morning, Palm has OSU as the No. 10 seed facing Iowa State (No. 7) in the West Region. Seeding wise, it’s another week that the Bucks are slotted as the No. 10 by Palm.

USA Today (Scott Gleeson & Shelby Mast) — Good news is that USA Today has Ohio State up to a No. 8 seed in the South. Currently, Gleeson and Mast have the Buckeyes facing Oklahoma (No. 9). Bad news: Winner would (more than extremely likely) face Duke in the Round of 32.

Bracketville — Like Palm, Bracketville has OSU as a No. 10 in their March 4 update. However, this could be an upset pick as Wofford is the projected opponent. Both teams are placed in the Midwest Region, with the winner facing either North Carolina or Colgate. Of today’s scenarios, this is the most likely in which Ohio State gets a victory in their Round of 64 game.

ESPN (Joe Lunardi) — Updated on Tuesday, Lunardi also has OSU-Wofford as a No. 10 vs. No. 7 matchup, but in the South Region. Winner would face Tennessee/Wright State.

The Big Lead (Jason Lisk) — Joining the other USA Today predictors, Lisk has OSU as the No. 8 facing a No. 9 seed Big 12 institution. Texas would clash with the Bucks in Salt Lake, with the winner taking on Gonzaga/Montana.

NET Ranking

While Monday brought new NET Rankings, OSU is still in the middle of the Big Ten pack. The Buckeyes are seventh in the B1G — sitting at No. 43.

On the bright side: All Big Ten programs are within the top-100 in this release. Rutgers is the lowest ranked conference program at No. 98.