March Madness: Struggling teams that will still do well in the 2018 NCAA Tournament

Ohio State Buckeyes

With likely just four teams going to the big dance from the Big Ten, it would seem to be an underwhelming year for the conference. This only fuels the doubters the second place Buckeyes have, especially following their defeat in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament against Penn State.

Coming out of nowhere and surprising all of college basketball, Ohio State was using a group of lesser-known players to rise near the top of one of the sport’s elite conferences. In the last few weeks of the season, they began to struggle, losing in Ann Arbor to a hot Wolverines team, barely escaping Bloomington against the Hoosiers, and exiting the Big Ten tournament in their first taste of the action.

Their three losses against the Nittany Lions will impact Ohio State’s seeding in the tournament without a doubt. But even with their shaky recent past, the Buckeyes are in the four seed range. Facing a 13 seed in the first round will not be as intimidating as many think, as Ohio State handled their non-conference schedule, and only struggled in tight contests.

Since the Buckeyes will over match their opening round opponent and possibly their second-round opponent as well, it is relatively safe to pick them two rounds even though they aren’t coming in with a lot of momentum.