Tag: Joe Lunardi

Ohio State in bubble territory in latest NCAA Tournament projections

After another loss, Ohio State has slid down most NCAA Tournament projections. It is near bubble territory in the latest ESPN Bracketology.

It’s hard to believe, but the Ohio State basketball team is getting dangerously close to not making the NCAA Tournament. With each passing loss, the Buckeyes slide further and further down the tournament seed line when it comes to projections.

The good news is that somehow OSU is still in the field in almost all projections after losing six of its last nine games. The bad news is that it has slid all the way down to a No. 7 seed in the latest Joe Lunardi Bracketology piece that gets updated as results happen.

It has been as surprising to see this team fall all over itself the last few weeks as it has been watching it rise to the pinnacle of the college basketball world nine to twelve games into the season. And if it doesn’t find some way to right the ship from here on out, we might be talking about an NIT appearance as opposed to a dance in March.

This will all change, but right now Lunardi has Ohio State in the Midwest region playing St. Mary’s in Cleveland. Kansas, Dayton, Michigan State, and Villanova are the top four seeds projected in that region.

 

 

Eleven Big Ten teams projected in NCAA field

Joe Lunardi has a whopping eleven Big Ten teams in the NCAA projected field if the season were to end today.

There’s still a large part of the season to go, but the Big Ten might be on the verge of a pretty remarkable feat if things stay the course. It’s been a very unpredictable conference season so far, and that speaks to the balance of the league. Look no further than Ohio State for proof. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 11, but are just 1-4 in the league and sit in second to last place.

Michigan State has been the best so far in-conference, but it got the doors blown off of it by 29 points at Purdue Sunday. It’s anyone’s guess how many losses the league champion will have.

But there’s good news in all of this. The conference is projected to have eleven teams in the NCAA field if the season were to end today according to Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology on ESPN. That’s more than any other conference by a wide margin. In fact, the Big East is second with just six teams projected in.

And rather than name all eleven, it’s easier to name the three that wouldn’t be in if the season were to end today. Those three teams are Nebraska, Northwestern, and Minnesota. And that’s with the understanding that the Gophers are just barely out of the field right now.

Now, will arguably the deepest conference in the country get this many teams in when it all really matters? I think it would be a shock to see eleven, but with the way things are going, never say never. Either way, it looks like there’s going to be a severe Big Ten flavor to  March in 2020.

Where is Ohio State basketball in the latest Joe Lunardi Bracketology

After four-straight losses, you might be surprised where Joe Lunardi has Ohio State basketball in his latest Bracketology projection.

Joe Lunardi has released his latest Bracketology, and he still has a reeling Ohio State basketball squad pretty high on the seeding line. In fact, according to the ESPN master of NCAA tournament projections, he’s got the Buckeyes still on the No. 4 seed line.

While many would argue with that, there is still a very good body of work that will play well to any committee looking to put a field together. There’s the win over Cincinnati to start the year, a win over a top ten Villanova, a road victory over North Carolina, and a neutral court win over Kentucky that will probably look even better by the end of the year.

Now, before you celebrate, obviously Ohio State has to find a way to get back to the good basketball it was playing last year, and — the latest Bracketology came out before the loss at Indiana.

Regardless, for those of you that think the Buckeyes are in a free-fall, there’s still a lot to be positive about. Now, about those turnovers …

Ohio State moves way up in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology

ESPN resident NCAA college basketball bracketologist Joe Lunardi has released his new projections. He has Ohio State making a big move.

The Ohio State basketball team has had a great start to the 2019-2020 season. The win over Cincinnati at home to start the year was a significant one, but the whitewashing of No. 10 Villanova was a head turner.

There are still things to work on, and there have been some issues scoring at times early on in the season, but it looks like roles are starting to be defined, and this team is getting an identity.

And ESPN’s famed Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has taken note.

In the latest release of his bracket projections, Lunardi has Ohio State all the way up to a No. 2 seed. This is notable because before the season, the Buckeyes were showing up around a No. 5 or No. 4 seed, but it’s clear many — Lunardi included — are starting to believe this team can do some damage nationally.

Of course now, just three games into the season, does not a postseason resume make, but the ceiling of this year’s Ohio State basketball team might be a little higher than what anyone thought.

So where would you make travel plans if this were to come to fruition? Lundardi has the Buckeyes in the East bracket, playing in Cleveland against Northeastern. Duke is the No. 1 seed in that region.

Of course this will all change significantly, but we’ll keep tabs on where the experts believe this team is.