The Golden Eagles 75-72 overtime victory against the Buckeyes It was only the ninth time in NCAA Tournament history that a 15 seed beat a 2 seed, and from a seeding standpoint, by far Ohio State’s worst loss in the Big Dance.
Before Friday, Ohio State had lost just four times in the first round of the NCAA tournament since team rankings began. The Buckeyes lost to 9-seed James Madison as an 8-seed in 1982, to 12-seed Utah State (also in overtime) as a 5-seed in 2001, to 9-seed Siena, as an 8 seed (in double overtime) in 2009 and against 11 seed Dayton in 2014.
|
Year |
Seed |
Opponent |
Score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1982 |
8 |
#9 JAMES MADISON |
55-48 |
|
2001 |
5 |
#12 UTAH STATE |
77-68 (extension) |
|
2009 |
8 |
#9 SIENA |
74-72 (2OT) |
|
2014 |
6 |
#11DAY |
60-59 |
|
2021 |
2 |
#15 ORAL ROBERTS |
75-72 (extension) |
In previous NCAA Tournament appearances as a top-two seed, the only other time the Buckeyes lost in the first two rounds was in 2006, when they suffered a surprise defeat 70-52 against Georgetown in the second round.
According to Odds Shark Historical Odds Database, which includes games dating back to 2000, Friday’s game was also the first time Ohio State — which closed as a 15-point favorite against Oral Roberts — lost in the NCAA tournament as a favorite double-digit bets. In nine previous games as a double-digit favorite, Ohio State has won by at least 17 points seven times, with the only exceptions being two single-digit victories over Davidson (69-64 in 2002 and 70-62 in 2006). . (Note: Ohio State’s 2001 loss to Utah State is not included in the database, and Eleven warriors could not find a historical betting line for this game, so it is unclear how favored the Buckeyes were in this game.)
Simply put, Ohio State wasn’t supposed to be about to lose on Friday. Although there were certainly warning signs regarding this year’s Buckeyes entering the tournament — and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi correctly predicted an Oral Roberts win – there’s still no real excuse for losing to a middling team that was just 16-10 heading into the tournament.
“I think any time you’re seeded second, that speaks for itself,” Chris Holtmann said. “I thought our guys had a tremendous season. This is obviously a very bitter end to a great season. We will recognize it, accept it and move forward.
Now, instead of preparing to face Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, the Buckeyes return to Columbus with the weight of suffering one of the most disappointing losses in program history. Despite securing its highest seed in the Big Dance since 2013, Ohio State suffered an earlier tournament exit than each of its last three March Madness appearances, including two previous trips under Holtmann.
While Oral Roberts’ upset victory makes the Golden Eagles the first Cinderella of this year’s tournament and is certainly a victory that will go down in this program’s history, it’s a game that Buckeye fans will also remember for years as a historically bad match. to drop.
“We all have to be responsible for not achieving this, and it starts with me, first and foremost with me,” Holtmann said. “Obviously you’re seeded second for a reason… Overall, it was a special year with a conclusion that we need to look back on. This is incredibly disappointing.
