Last Saturday, the Ohio State women's basketball team began a weeklong wait to see where it would play next when the 68-team field was announced during the NCAA Tournament selection show at 8 p.m. ESPN on Sunday.
No. 14 Ohio State (23–6) lost in the Big Ten tournament semifinal against No. 11 Indiana in Indianapolis. From a 20-point loss to the Hoosiers in December to enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and co-champion with Iowa, the Buckeyes showed how much they had improved during the season until they held on to Indiana. End.
"I think it speaks volumes to our hearts and our dedication," said graduate senior Brextin Miller. "Where we started and we're starting to finish is completely different, and I'm really proud to come to the gym and do my best together every day. It's super inspiring for all of us." And inspiring."
The Buckeyes are returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Kelsey Mitchell's senior season in 2018, although Kevin McGuffe's team would have been in the 2020 tournament if the postseason was not canceled for the COVID pandemic. The Buckeyes would also have been on the tournament field last season if they weren't serving a self-imposed postseason ban.
Only sharp-shooter Taylor Mikkel has played in the NCAA tournament before. For the rest of the Ohio State roster, March Madness will be a whole new experience.
While the Buckeyes wait to see which host site they travel to and who will be their first-round opponent, here's what some experts think of Ohio State's seeding as of Wednesday morning.
ESPN: No. 6 seed vs. State of Missouri
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme finds the Buckeyes the No. 6 seed in the Wichita Regional, Missouri State, No. 11 seed in Knoxville, Tennessee, placing the big bid in the Missouri Valley Conference.
If the Buckeyes advance to the second round, they will face the winner of No. 3 seed Tennessee and No. 14 seed Charlotte.
Creme lists Missouri State as the last team listed to receive a major bid without playing in one of two play-in games - after expanding from 64 teams to 68 this season. A new addition to the tournament in No other major bid's seed is lower than No. 11, meaning that Creme sees Ohio State as the top No. 6 seed.
So it's possible that Ohio State receives a No. 5 seed. Before losing to Indiana, Creme listed Ohio State as the No. 5 seed.
NCAA.com: No. 5 seed vs. Washington State
NCAA.com's Autumn Johnson projects the Buckeyes to become the No. 5 seed in the Spokane Regionals, playing the No. 12 seed Washington State in the first round, in Blacksburg, Virginia. If Ohio State is eliminated from that game, the Buckeyes will face the winner of No. 4 Virginia Tech versus No. 13 Drexel.
Ever since Ohio State beat Maryland and Iowa in January, the Buckeyes have been consistently around the No. 5 and No. 6 seed lines. Based on the matchup, Ohio State may have a good chance of advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
Can Ohio State Host the First Two Rounds?
Barring a few unexpected, Ohio State won't get a No. 4 seed or better to be able to host the tournament's first weekend. The four other best Big Ten teams -- Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Maryland -- are all expected to host.
Although the Buckeyes rank well behind Maryland, Michigan and Indiana in the national rankings, their net ranking is number 31. NET is used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to sort teams on the basis of their resumes during the season.