Who is Ohio State playing in Big Ten men’s basketball tournament

Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton (2) goes to the basket past Maryland guard DeShawn Harris-Smith (5) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

by: Orri Benatar

Posted: Mar 9, 2025 / 03:23 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 10, 2025 / 11:39 AM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State’s March Madness hopes are hanging by a thread, and the Buckeyes’ performance in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament could make or break them getting a bid.

After falling to Indiana on Saturday in its regular season finale, Ohio State finished 9-11 in conference play. This gives the Buckeyes the No. 10 seed for the conference tournament, which begins Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Ohio State will play in the first round against No. 15-seed Iowa at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on Peacock, which is owned by NBC and not NBC4’s parent company Nexstar. The winner will play No. 7-seed Illinois in the second round at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

2025 Big Ten men’s tournament bracket

This is the first time the Big Ten tournament has 15 teams after last year’s expansion, adding Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA. The expansion meant three teams were left out of the bracket and an extra first-round game was added.

Most analysts are split on the NCAA Tournament status of Ohio State, which last qualified in 2022. The Buckeyes have won at least one game at the Big Ten tournament over the past two seasons. With a first-round win, their chances of making the NCAA Tournament get a healthy boost, and a deep run surely gives them a spot.

The NCAA Tournament selection show begins at 6 p.m. next Sunday, with the first games taking place on March 18 in the First Four in Dayton. Should Ohio State make the tournament, Dayton is a possible destination.