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March Madness: Profile of the 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes

By Daniel Benjamin

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 02: Kam Williams
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 02: Kam Williams /
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COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 10: Members of the Ohio State Buckeyes huddle prior to the start of the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Value City Arena on February 10, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Iowa 82-64. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 10: Members of the Ohio State Buckeyes huddle prior to the start of the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Value City Arena on February 10, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Iowa 82-64. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014-15.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to continue their magical season with a run through the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Ohio St. faces Summit League champion South Dakota State in the second round on Thursday. Tip-off is for the West Region’s fifth-seeded Buckeyes’ game against the 12th-seeded Jackrabbits is 4 p.m. (ET) in Boise, Idaho, on March 15.

The Buckeyes, picked to finish 11th in the conference by the Big Ten coaches,  started the season by winning their first four games. The Buckeyes then ran into a Gonzaga team that has an opportunity to reach the Final Four, losing 86-59 in the PK 80 matchup. The loss to the Bulldogs started a stretch of three losses to NCAA Tourney teams that included Butler and Clemson.

Ohio St. got back on track with an 83-59 victory over Wisconsin to start Big Ten play. The Buckeyes followed that win up with a 71-62 home victory over archrival Michigan. The Buckeyes had their five-game winning streak snapped by North Carolina right before Christmas in the CBS Sports Classic.

Ohio St. then rolled off eight straight wins, which included a victory over then No. 1 Michigan State in Columbus. The Buckeyes ended up winning 12 of 13 overall after the loss to UNC, putting their record at 22-5 overall and 13-1 in conference play. As a result, the Buckeyes were a fourth-seed in the NCAA’s first tournament reveal.

However, the Buckeyes closed the season losing three of five. Two of those losses were to Penn State, including a 69-68 setback in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Ohio State (24-8, 15-3 Big Ten) finished the regular season ranked 17th in both the AP poll and USA Today Coaches poll.

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