March Madness Predictions: Ohio State on Outside Looking In?

It's an uphill climb for the Ohio State Buckeyes the rest of the season, but nothing is out of the question when it comes to qualifying for March Madness with more than a month of basketball still to play.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are on track to have arguably their worst season since coach Chris Holtmann was hired in 2017.

And while there are still plenty of games left in conference play, this certainly shows how successful - and maybe overlooked - Holtmann's tenure in Columbus has been despite failing to make it to the Sweet 16.

Still, as it stands, the Buckeyes seem to be finding themselves on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament, per the recent March Madness bracket predictions from ESPN's Bracketology.

The Buckeyes, who currently hold an 11-10 record and have the third-worst conference record in the Big Ten heading into Thursday's meeting with the Wisconsin Badgers, are projected to be in the "Next Four Out" as one of the first eight teams to miss out on a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State is joined by teams like Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Nevada, Arizona State, Seton Hall and Utah State as the first eight to miss the cut.

Even in a Big Ten that has been dominated by the Purdue Boilermakers this season, the Buckeyes are in the minority of teams in the conference to fall short in the latest projections, as Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota are predicted to miss out.

It's an uphill climb for the Buckeyes for the rest of the season, but nothing is out of the question with more than a month of basketball still to play.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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