The NCAA Tournament is not for the faint of heart. The Ohio State Buckeyes unfortunately know this all too well of late. Last year No. 15 seed Oral Roberts stunned the No. 2 seed Buckeyes 75-72.

The Buckeyes woes in the NCAA tournament extend much further back. The 2013 NCAA Tournament is the last time the Buckeyes have survived the first weekend of March Madness. It has nearly been a decade since the Buckeyes have made a Sweet Sixteen.

After finishing the regular season slowly with a 2-3 record in the final five Big Ten games the Buckeyes were upset by Penn State in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament. Buckeye Nation was surely disappointed by that result given this squad’s potential.

However, despite the rough ending to the Big Ten season the Buckeyes could still be poised to make a run in the tournament. A smart man right now would probably say otherwise, however this is March, therefore throw all logic out the window.

If the Buckeyes were to survive this first weekend for the first time since 2013 these would be the main underlying factors.

Much Needed Rest for Buckeyes

There is no denying the fact that Covid-19 postponements wreaked havoc on the Buckeyes scheduling towards the end of the season. Being forced to play roughly 3 games a week for the last few weeks of the season took a toll on an injury riddled roster to begin with.

Kyle Young and Zed Key were nursing injuries towards the end of the season, but their return for the tournament seems plausible with the game being on a Friday.

#Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann on Zed Key and Kyle Young: "I’ll make more statements on that once I have more information. Certainly if we were going to play in the First Four tomorrow night it wouldn’t look good for our group."

— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 14, 2022

However, the Buckeyes having a full week to get their legs back after the loss to Penn State might be the best thing for this team going forward.

The Buckeyes can getting one of their big men back for the first game would be an immense boost.

Pressure mounting for Holtmann

Buckeye Nation is beginning to turn on head coach Chris Holtmann. From twitter to the message boards fans have been very displeased with Holtmann’s record in March.

In 5 seasons under the helm the Buckeyes have a 2-3 record in the NCAA Tournament, a 4-4 record in the Big Ten tournament, and zero conference titles. However, it is fair to state the 2020 season appeared promising until it was abruptly ended by the pandemic.

However, now the boosters appear ready to step-in to potentially influence a change.

No we can’t accept average! Time for @thefoundation1_ to make a difference!!! https://t.co/g82ZeURvV3

— Brian Schottenstein (@DaSchott) March 11, 2022

Despite the public outcry of late the administration still appears to have Holtmann’s back.

Thanks, Doug, for this really thorough article. Great research and info. Our program and the men in it are in great hands with @ChrisHoltmann … let “the dance” begin! #GoBucks https://t.co/ZB00fZzmLE

— Gene Smith (@OSU_AD) March 14, 2022

Holtmann has the No. 5 ranked class in the 2022 recruiting cycle joining the squad soon. Therefore, reinforcements are on the way and Holtmann should get another season regardless out the outcome of this tournament.

Still the cries for March success are beginning to get much louder and surely Holtmann understands this. Expect Holtmann to give one of his best coaching efforts going into this tournament when it comes to preparation, strategy and game management.

As they say a desperate team is very dangerous in March.

Bracket is very winnable

The first two matchups of the weekend are not the worst matchups for the Buckeyes.

Despite fan sentiment being near an all-time low the Buckeyes should have a size advantage.

Loyola Chicago’s starting forwards are both 6-foot-7 in Aher Uguak and Ryan Schwieger. They do have a 6-foot-10 center in Jacob Hutson, but he only has averaged 12.6 minutes per game this year. In short, Joey Brunk, Zed Key or Kyle Young should dominant in rebounds as Loyola Chicago’s top rebounder, Lucas Williamson, is averaging 5 rebounds per game.

After that the Buckeyes would either play No. 15 seed Delaware or No. 2 seed Villanova. People forget that in 2019 the Buckeyes routed the Wildcats 76-51. Additionally from his time combined at Butler and Ohio State Holtmann is 3-4 against the Wildcats.

So it is fair to say Holtmann can stand toe-to-toe with Jay Wright.

In conclusion the Buckeyes have life and that is all fans can truly ask for this time of the year.

The current betting lines via FanDuel Sportsbook are:

Moneyline: LUC: (-102) | OSU: (-118)
Spread: LUC: +1 (-110) | OSU: -1 (-110)
Total: 132.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Tip-off takes place Friday 3/18/2022 at 12:15 P.M.