Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
After picking up a huge home victory against Wisconsin, what else do the Buckeyes need to do to secure their place in the Big Dance?
Ohio State was able to pick up a humongous home victory against Wisconsin on Tuesday night. This win helps the Buckeyes continue their streak of not losing back-to-back games this season. The NCAA Tournament is still almost a month away, but for the second consecutive year, the Buckeyes are playing for a spot on the bubble. The win against Wisconsin becomes the Buckeyes’ first win against a ranked team this season.
Joe Lunardi’s recent bracketology from Tuesday morning has Ohio State ranked 70th, just outside the field of play. They gain a Quad 2 victory against Wisconsin with a chance of it becoming a Quad 1 if Wisconsin can win out.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 17, 2026
UCLA lost at Michigan State Tuesday night, which should knock them off the last four in and into the first four out. UCF, which currently has one of the last byes in the field, handled TCU at home; this loss certainly pushes the Horned Frogs back out of the field. This leaves two spots open for Missouri (who upset Vanderbilt last night) and Ohio State to enter back into the tournament field when the next updated Bracketology is released.
This raises a major question. What does Ohio State need to happen for them to be safely in the driver’s seat for a tournament appearance?
Ohio State has an opportunity to gain 3 Quad 1 Victories in the next week and a half.
Michigan State – 2/22
Iowa – 2/25
Purdue – 3/1Could the win against Wisconsin be a spark for the Buckeyes to strike hot in their journey to a NCAA Tourney Appearance? @tSilverBulletin
— AJ Mahoney (@aj_mahoney_) February 18, 2026
The toughest part of the season is ahead, with three straight Quadrant One games being on the horizon starting this Sunday in East Lansing. Michigan State is one team that constantly gives the Buckeyes the wrong result. But as of recently, Ohio State has had Sparty’s number in East Lansing, which should give Buckeye fans hope of an upset being possible.
Then the Buckeyes travel to Iowa City to face an Iowa team that had an upset, hard-nosed victory against No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday night at home. Ohio State has not won in Iowa City since 2020; granted, they have not played at Iowa since the 2020 matchup, with the last three matchups coming at home and on a neutral site court. This game may be the most winnable matchup they could have in the three-game stretch, and a potential major win that would be looked at on Selection Sunday.
Purdue comes back to the Schottenstein Center two years after Jake Diebler’s first victory as the full-time head coach in an upset that would give many Buckeyes fans hope of a potential NCAA Tournament appearance. The Buckeyes have had Purdue’s number in the last two matchups, coming out on top in both games. The potential of a huge home victory on the first day of March could potentially clinch Ohio State as a tournament team if the other games go in their direction.
Right now, it seems like the Buckeyes need to finish the season no worse than 2-3 to give them a chance at a miracle in March, potentially. That would put Ohio State with a 19-12 record going into the Big Ten Tournament, with wins against Michigan State/Purdue/Iowa, Indiana, and Penn State. It would put them with a 20-11 record if they can win one of the three Quad One games. They also have to find wins against Indiana and Penn State on top of one of the three games mentioned earlier.
If everything goes the way Diebler expects, the highest seed Ohio State could realistically receive is a 7 or an 8, as of now. But with a potential record in the range of 20 wins, they would be on the 9-11 line depending on the different conference tournaments and potential bid stealers.
There is almost a month away from Selection Sunday and five regular-season games remaining for the Buckeyes. They have been in every single game until the very end and need to find a way to finish the Quad 1 games to boost their resume over the other bubble teams.
The next step in Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament journey continues in East Lansing on Sunday against Michigan State, which will tip at 1:00pm and will be televised on CBS.
AJ is currently a sophomore at Bowling Green State University. He has been a sports fan and Ohio State fan since he was a kid, and has been covering sports since 2020. AJ runs his own podcast called Just Talkin Sports, where he interviews athletes from all sports. He has over 2,300 plays on Spotify and 300 followers on Instagram. AJ plans to study Sport Management and minor in marketing while also interning for BGSU Athletics Strategic Communications.