Ohio State women’s basketball March Madness bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA Tournament
Coming into March riding a 15-game winning streak, Ohio State had a solid argument for being one of the top four teams in the tournament and that remained the case even after losing to Iowa in the final game of the regular season on March 3. It's the early exit from the Big Ten tournament that is predicted to bump the Buckeyes down a spot, especially with a team like Southern California, who has a win over Ohio State, winning the Pac 12 Tournament.
What now seems to be the general consensus among bracketology analysts is that Ohio State will end up as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If that does end up being the case, the Buckeyes will host the first two rounds of the tournament at Value City Arena from March 22-25.
When Ohio State was knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament by the Maryland Terrapins in a surprise quarterfinal upset, the Buckeyes were also knocked out of any legitimate contention of being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
In the latest from both ESPN and The Athletic, the Buckeyes are the projected No. 2 seed in the Albany 1 region, with undefeated South Carolina as the No. 1 seed. Ohio State has never seen the Gamecocks in postseason play, with the last meeting between the two occurring in 2016, the season South Carolina coach Dawn Staley won her first national championship.
Though the Buckeyes have recorded losses in their previous two games, it is still unlikely the selection committee ranks eight teams ahead of Ohio State. During the run of success the Buckeyes had in the regular season, the team added two top-10 victories and the Big Ten regular-season title to their resume.
Who will Ohio State play in the first round?
Historically, No. 15 seeds are reserved for teams who earned their bid to the tournament through winning one of the smaller conference championships.
Some of the teams that have been predicted to be facing Ohio State in the first round are the University of Maine, who won the American East Conference Tournament and Kent State, who won the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
If Kent State does end up being the Buckeyes' matchup, it will possibly be a family reunion on the court as Ohio State sophomore Emma Shumate's sister, Katie Shumate, plays for the Golden Flashes.
The NCAA women's basketball tournament selection show is scheduled for Sunday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball March Madness, NCAA bracket predictions
