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Ohio State’s win against No. 8 Purdue on March 1 put the Buckeyes on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Buckeyes men’s basketball team is now almost universally projected to receive an at-large bid to participate in March Madness.
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Unless, of course, they fail to take care of business in the final week of the regular season. The reality is that losses in either of the final two games before the Big Ten Tournament could undo all the good work that their most recent win is doing for their resume.
The Buckeyes needed that victory against the Boilermakers. Now they need to win against Big Ten cellar-dweller Penn State on March 4.
“We talked about it [March 2]: That game is over,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “This time of year, there’s a lot of noise on the outside that players have to deal with. We’ve been talking for a few weeks. You’ve got to block that stuff out, both positive and negative. Our focus has to be on Penn State and preparing well.”
Mar 1, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) celebrates during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
On paper, it has all the makings of a trap game. With fans storming the court after the win against Purdue, the Buckeyes were able to celebrate the end of their first losing streak of the season and wash away the disappointment from a short-handed, 17-point loss at Iowa on Feb. 25. What the win did not do was give Ohio State enough breathing room to consider itself safely in the NCAA Tournament field should it lose again during the regular season.
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Publish date : 2026-03-04 19:22:00
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