Ohio State basketball team likely to accept NIT bid

The Ohio State basketball program’s NCAA Tournament hopes were likely dashed with a brutal loss to Illinois. Fans are not happy with the referees in that one, and they shouldn’t be. Illinois had just 13 fouls called on them compared to 27 on Ohio State. That’s the second-highest foul disparity in the conference in six years.

Regardless, the fun ride is likely over. The Buckeyes needed that win to give their resume a final boost to get onto the bubble. They didn’t get much help from the rest of the bubble teams either. Now, the Buckeyes’ season is over unless they want to accept an NIT bid to have some postseason basketball.

The Ohio State basketball team would likely accept an NIT bid

If extended, the Buckeyes would likely accept an NIT bid. It would give them a chance to keep playing and it would give Jake Diebler a chance to keep showing that he deserves the head coaching job next season. They likely would be a top-two seed in the NIT as well. That means they would host some games at the Schott.

Even though they came up just short, Ohio State deserves a lot of credit for even getting to this point. No one thought they could even come close to getting onto the bubble. The turnaround that Diebler led is impressive. Whether he stays with the Ohio State basketball program or moves on to another school, Diebler has shown he’s a good head coach.

The Buckeyes have juice back in the program. That’s a win considering where things were in mid-February. If Ohio State does accept an NIT bid, they could be a dangerous team in that tournament. They have a shot to possibly win it because of how well this team defends the three now.

The future is bright for the Buckeyes no matter how the present ends.