How it all went down in the Midwest Region
In the first round, No. 1 seed Ohio State took on No. 16 seed Duke in the Midwest Regional and won because it wasn’ played on the hardwood.
The Buckeyes’ next opponent was No. 9 seed Louisville and there was no problem there either. But that’s when things started to get a little hairy. OSU’s advance to the Midwest Regional semifinal resulted in a matchup between SEC foe and No. 4 seed Auburn. Here’s how Chris Lowe of ESPN has it playing out.
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MIDWEST REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
(1) Ohio State 31, (4) Auburn 27: In a back-and-forth game with Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix both leading their teams on pressure-packed scoring drives in the second half, it’s a fourth-down stop behind the line of scrimmage by defensive end Zach Harrison that seals the game for the Buckeyes.
Whew. A close one, but it’s all about survive and advance. Ohio State then had a date with another SEC team, No. 3 seed Florida in the Regional final. It was another close one, but OSU squeaked it out to earn a trip to the Final Four of this hypothetical tournament.
MIDWEST REGIONAL FINAL
(1) Ohio State 34, (3) Florida 28: It’s always a party in Columbus when Ohio State beats up on an SEC team, especially in the postseason. The Buckeyes don’t necessarily beat up on the Gators physically. It’s an evenly matched game in the trenches, but Fields’ ability to extend the play and make plays on the move wears on a Florida defense that can’t get off the field during crucial moments in the second half.
In the national semifinal, a familiar opponent surfaced. In a revenge match of the Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes got another shot at Clemson. Apparently, SEC refs were removed from the game, and things went a much, much better in a game that wasn’t that close.