Ohio State Buckeyes Drop to Bubble in Latest March Madness Bracket

The Buckeyes' postseason hopes are in jeopardy.

Feb 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) is defended by Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2), center Austin Parks (25) and guard Ques Glover (6) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Ohio State has lost three consecutive games, and four of its last five. In the most important stretch of the year, the Buckeyes are floundering, and it could leave them on the outside of March Madness, looking in.

In ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi's latest projection on Wednesday, Lunardi ranked the Buckeyes as the 67th team out of 68 that would currently be slated to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State would play in the "First Four" round and enter the 64-team bracket as a 12-seed if it won.

pic.twitter.com/ni7UEyGA9X
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 26, 2025

In Tuesday's Bracket, Ohio State was still in the "Last Four Byes" category, but was leap-frogged by Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arkansas in Lunardi's latest iteration.

The Buckeyes still have three regular season games remaining. Ohio State plays USC on Wednesday, followed by Nebraska and Indiana next week. Nebraska and Indiana are also fighting for their tournament lives, while USC could potentially miss the Big Ten Tournament entirely.

The point being, none of those wins will come easily for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State's skid, with the latest defeat coming at the hands of UCLA on Sunday, could not have come at a worse time. The Buckeyes are still 33rd in KenPom's NET ranking behind an 11th-best strength of schedule, but the most important metric is wins, a department that 15-13 OSU is lacking in.

Read More Ohio State Buckeyes Coverage