Please follow and like us: OSU coach Thad Matta stands on the sideline during a second-round Big Ten tournament game against Penn State on March 10 in Indianapolis. OSU won 79-75.Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor INDIANAPOLIS — The Ohio State men’s basketball team’s hopes of making the NCAA tournament seemed, at times this year, cautiously optimistic. At other points of the season, they seemed improbable. And now, after an 81-54 beatdown at the hands of Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, they are all but done for. OSU (20-13, 11-7) has the name recognition, conference competitiveness and record fit to appear on paper as a solid bet to make the 68-team NCAA tournament field. And yet, as OSU coach Thad Matta spoke to the media after the loss to the Spartans, there was no question that he knew the tournament would be lacking scarlet and gray this season. Despite the positive qualities the Buckeyes have on their résumé, earning a spot in the tournament was always an uphill battle. With just two wins against teams placed in the top 50 of the RPI and a marginal grade in the eye test, fans and analysts alike could acknowledge that the Buckeyes would have to do more to get off the bubble and into the tournament. They got that chance to turn some heads three times in the last few weeks against a Michigan State team that Matta said he thinks is a national title favorite. But it was three up, three down on those attempts, as OSU was crushed in each of the contests. So without a spot in March Madness lined up for them for the first time since 2008, what happens next for the Buckeyes? It appears to be an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. Matta is no stranger to the NIT, though he hasn’t been face-to-face with it since that 2008 season. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State men’s basketball likely NIT bound after Big Ten tournament exit
