Please follow and like us: OSU junior forward Marc Loving (2) looks to deliver a pass while Penn State freshman guard Josh Reaves (23) tries to slow him down in a game in the Big Ten tournament on March 10 in Indianapolis. OSU won, 79-75. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor Despite being left out of the NCAA tournament field after seven consecutive appearances, the Ohio State men’s basketball team will still get a taste of the postseason. The National Invitational Tournament announced its 32-team bracket Sunday night, in which the Buckeyes (20-13, 11-7) earned a No. 3 seed. OSU is scheduled to take on sixth-seeded Akron (26-8, 11-5) in the first round Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center. The Zips, who are making their first NIT appearance since 2012, won the Mid-American Conference’s regular-season title. They fell to Buffalo in their the conference championship game Saturday night on a last-second 3-pointer. OSU played Akron in the first round of the NIT in 1989, defeating the Zips 81-70. The first three rounds of the NIT, which is, essentially, a consolation prize for schools like OSU, are played at the campus sites of the higher-ranked team. The semifinals are slated for March 29 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, while the championship game is set for March 31 at 7 p.m. As the regular season progressed and the young Buckeyes continued to struggle to find their stride, it seemed like they were destined for the NIT. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State men’s basketball misses NCAA tournament, earns No. 3 seed in NIT
