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Bracketology and Selection Sunday Discussion

I just seen Fox scroll the last 4 in and Ohio State was on that list....that has to be wrong with all the losing Ohio State has to be farther inside than that. I seen a few sites with Ohio State as a 9 seed. I don't want a 9 seed. Give a 10 or 11 stay away from 1 seeds.
I looked it up, Decourcy has done that projection, but his last update was 5 days ago (the 6th). I guess he's on hiatus?
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C Ivan Njegovan (Official Thread)

Agree that Ivan's biggest impact is defensively. He provides a presence out there that affects the opponent in the paint and on the glass. While his offensive production thus far has been unremarkable, he has given the team a lift on the defensive side. He's one of those guys that is good enough to provide depth in a pinch, but probably not good enough for NIL.
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2025-2026 Ohio State Men's Basketball

Ohio State men's basketball: "Good roster that underwhelmed"
Does this confirm your feelings on the men's basketball team?
According to this chart from analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, Ohio State fits in the bucket of "good rosters that underwhelmed" alongside UCLA, Kentucky, Louisville and BYU.

3988f4cc-0919-4f14-8dfc-381c80612417
Interesting. It's a big stretch to say OSU's roster is comparable to that of Kentucky and BYU - pretty sure those programs spent a ton more on NIL. Louisville also reportedly spent big. NC State beat out OSU for star F Darrion Williams. IU supposedly spent $10M for their roster this season which would be more than OSU by far. Money's not everything, but maybe they don't need to use a "preseason roster grade" to evaluate players after the regular season has been completed?

Oregon was picked #5 in the B1G preseason poll, with OSU 9th, can't imagine how their roster would rate as worse than OSU's in that scenario. It appears "preseason roster grade" rates OSU's players as roughly tied for 3rd-best in the B1G, in the same ballpark as Illinois and UCLA and behind only UM and Purdue, which is a vast overrating of the OSU roster compared to the preseason beat writer's poll. I would say the Buckeyes preseason roster grade should put them in the same vicinity as Iowa. Seems to me a lot of bullshit went into the "preseason roster grade" metric.

"Joining Indiana in the $10 million club are Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, St. John’s and Texas Tech.

Two more Big Ten schools – Purdue and UCLA – are expected to spend $8 million on their rosters." https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr...cryv0nc0/RK=2/RS=6LncaeVA8vqklPqD9GXoDD60W_g-
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C Ivan Njegovan (Official Thread)

Ivan Njegovan: size, rim protection, and developmental upside​

While White provides depth on the wing, Ivan Njegovan represents a very different kind of developmental piece.
The 7-foot-1 center from Otočac, Croatia, is the tallest player on Ohio State’s roster and brings a traditional interior presence that few teams possess. Njegovan’s path to college basketball has been relatively unique. He began playing the sport later than many prospects but quickly developed due to his size and physical tools.

As a freshman, Njegovan appeared in 21 games, averaging 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field, while also recording eight blocked shots in limited minutes. Those numbers reflected the early stage of his development rather than his long-term potential.

This season, Njegovan has continued to grow into his role as a situational backup center behind Ohio State’s primary frontcourt rotation. His minutes have fluctuated depending on matchups and roster health, but he has shown flashes of the skills that make him intriguing.

One of the clearest examples came early in the season when Njegovan scored 15 points in a dominant win over Mount St. Mary’s, showing his ability to finish efficiently when given opportunities.

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Njegovan’s biggest impact, however, comes defensively. His size allows him to contest shots at the rim and provide a shot-blocking presence that changes how opponents attack the paint. Even in short stints, a player with that kind of length can alter possessions simply by being on the floor.

Offensively, his game remains a work in progress, but he has shown the ability to finish around the basket and occasionally step out for perimeter shots. For a player still relatively new to high-level basketball, those flashes suggest there is still significant room for growth.
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SF Colin White (transfer to ???)

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Colin White: a defensive spark and developing wing​

Colin White entered the program with a strong resume but limited early opportunity. The 6-foot-6 forward from Ottawa, Ohio, arrived in Columbus after a decorated high school career that included Ohio Mr. Basketball honors and more than 2,000 career points, while leading Ottawa-Glandorf to four consecutive state Final Four appearances.

However, White’s freshman season was slowed by injury and limited minutes, allowing him to appear in just 19 games while averaging around 1.1 points and rebounds. That early setback meant his development would take time.

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Throughout the 2025–26 season, White has gradually carved out a niche as a defensive and energy wing off the bench. At roughly 6-6 and over 200 pounds, he provides size on the perimeter and the ability to guard multiple positions, something that has made him useful in situational lineups.

Statistically his role remains small, with only limited scoring and assist totals in the rotation. But his value has often come through less obvious contributions. White has been used to defend opposing wings, crash the glass, and provide physical minutes when the Buckeyes need a defensive boost.

That role has become especially important when Ohio State’s depth has been tested by injuries or when the coaching staff wants to preserve energy for its starters. White’s willingness to embrace a low-usage role has helped him remain a trusted option even without high scoring totals.

The long-term appeal of White’s development is that his skill set fits exactly what Ohio State needs from its bench wings, defense, effort, and positional flexibility. If his offensive game continues to expand, particularly as a shooter and secondary playmaker, he could become a much larger part of the rotation in future seasons.
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2025-2026 Ohio State Men's Basketball

Ohio State men's basketball: "Good roster that underwhelmed"
Does this confirm your feelings on the men's basketball team?
According to this chart from analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, Ohio State fits in the bucket of "good rosters that underwhelmed" alongside UCLA, Kentucky, Louisville and BYU.

3988f4cc-0919-4f14-8dfc-381c80612417
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Bracketology and Selection Sunday Discussion

Where do bracketology experts have the Ohio State men before the Big Ten Tournament?

The Buckeyes have worked their way into a nearly guaranteed spot in March Madness.

Joe Lunardi: ESPN

As of publishing time, the guru of all things bracketology, Joe Lunardi, has the Buckeyes slotted in as a No. 9 seed and taking on No. 8 Georgia in the first round of the tournament. From there, the winner would take on the winner of the 1-vs.-16 matchup between Duke and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (I’ll let you figure out who is the No. 1 seed and who is the No. 16).
While you don’t love the prospects of playing the No. 1 overall seed in the Round of 32, especially when the game would be played in Greenville, two hours away from Duke’s campus, the fact that OSU has worked itself into a single-digit seed is pretty remarkable.

Jerry Palm: CBS Sports

As one of the broadcasters of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, CBS’s analysis always carries a little bit of weight. As of today, Jerry Palm has the Buckeyes on the No. 8 line. Ironically, he also has them in the Greenville pod feeding into Duke, but his first-round matchup pits OSU against No. 9 NC State, whose campus is about 90 minutes from Greenville.

USA Today

The trio of USA Today writers — Erick Smith, Paul Myerberg, and Eddie Timanus — has OSU as the No. 10 seed in the South Region, opening up the tournament against No. 7 Kentucky. That game would be played in Philadelphia, with the winner likely moving on to face No. 2 UConn, unless the No. 15 Queens University of Charlotte Royals pull off the upset.

James Fletcher III: On3

While he has some of the details different, On3’s James Fletcher III also has the Buckeyes and Wildcats opening up against each other. However, he foresees it as an 8-9 matchup, with UK being the better seed. Fletcher projects the game to be played in San Jose as part of the West region, feeding into the winner of No. 1 Arizona and a No. 16 winner of a First Four game, either Bethune-Cookman or Lehigh.

Bracketmatrix consensus

Bracketmatrix takes the projections from 109 different sources and averages them out to come up with an expert consensus.
Currently, the project has Ohio State as the last No. 9 seed, behind Iowa, Saint Louis, and TCU.
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