The Ohio State basketball team hasn’t had a perfect season by any stretch of the imagination.
However, it has had several quality wins over teams like Villanova and Maryland which will propel it into March looking like one of the tournament’s most underrated teams.
Unless the Buckeyes make some miraculous run in the Big Ten Tournament, they’re looking at their best possible seeding being around a fourth seed. Even that’s a stretch for some analysts.
There’s good reason to doubt Ohio State as well. They’ve struggled offensively this season. With nine losses and still a mere .500 record in the Big Ten, Ohio State just hasn’t put it all together on a nightly basis.
Against the best programs in the nation, though, they dominate.
OHIO STATEMENT! 🌰🏀
No. 25 Ohio State knocks off No. 7 Maryland and improves to 4-0 against top-10 teams this season! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9ZC8VvfMul
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 23, 2020
Villanova, Kentucky, North Carolina (okay, okay), and Maryland have all suffered a loss at the hand of Chris Holtmann’s Buckeyes. They didn’t just beat them though; they clobbered them, defeating the four by a combined 63 points.
While North Carolina has since dropped, Nova and UK are both looking as strong as ever and remain quality wins for the Buckeyes. Maryland also remains easily the top dog in the Big Ten as well.
That said, it’s more concerning for Ohio State to take on non-elite teams in March. Rest assured, if OSU gets deep into March, this team should just continue to ball out.