Ohio State has nobody to blame but themselves if NCAA Tournament dreams are crushed

The Buckeyes should be a postseason team but cannot win a close game

Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler huddles with the team during a timeout in the first half against Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is no reason why Ohio State shouldn’t be an NCAA Tournament team.

It has the talent and skill to make the postseason, but when things get tight late the Buckeyes cannot find the answers.

The same story unfolded on Sunday afternoon in East Lansing in a loss to No. 15 Michigan State, 66-60, after leading by three points at halftime. The result continued a troubling trend of alternating wins and losses in the last ten games.

Of those losses, four came against ranked teams while only one win was over a ranked team – No. 24 Wisconsin.

Standout point guard Bruce Thornton had 32 points against the Spartans and has scored 21 or more points in the last four games, but it hasn’t mattered for Ohio State.

In its ten losses this season, seven have come against ranked opponents and eight of the defeats are by single digits. The Buckeyes are 0-9 in Quad 1 games and 7-1 in Quad 2 games and firmly on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament with most projections currently putting Ohio State out of the field.

The struggles of the team have put head coach Jake Diebler on the hot seat after missing the NCAA Tournament last season. Diebler was named the interim head coach of the Buckeyes after the firing of Chris Holtmann and was elevated to the full-time role after a strong end to the season.

But things have not transpired like Diebler or the program have wanted and despite playing in a loaded Big Ten conference the chance for marquee wins are fading quickly for Ohio State.

The only ranked opponent left on its schedule is No. 8 Purdue on Sunday afternoon in Columbus after it travels to battle Iowa on Wednesday night in a huge game with major tournament implications.

In the final week of the season the Buckeyes will travel to Penn State and host Indiana. A minimum record of 3-1 feels like it is needed for Ohio State to enter the conference tournament with the probability of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but even that isn’t a guarantee.

Unlike football where Ohio State typically controls its postseason fate, the basketball team will likely need to win and get some help to sneak into the NCAA Tournament. The talent is there but the late game execution must be much better.