Can Ohio State men’s basketball go dancing this March? Some analysts believe the Buckeyes are an underrated pick in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Appearing on CBS on March 15 after the March Madness bracket reveal, college basketball analyst Mackenzie Brooks highlighted Ohio State as her “Cinderella” pick from the East Region.
“This is a team with a really high ceiling but a really low floor,” Brooks said. “They could be out of there in the Round of 32, but again, they do have a chance to make it to the Elite Eight, given the matchups they have.”
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Ohio State opened as a favorite against No. 9 TCU, its first-round opponent. If the Buckeyes advance, they would most likely play No. 1 Duke, the best team in the tournament field according to the selection committee, which lost in the ACC Tournament to Virginia 74-70.
If the Buckeyes face Duke and pull off an upset victory, No. 5 St. John’s and No. 4 Kansas would be potential Sweet Sixteen opponents.
“Duke is a really vulnerable team right now,” Brooks said. “It is not impossible to think that, and we have them [Ohio State] favored against St. John’s, so take that for what you will.”
Some teams with a projected chance to make a Cinderella run, per CBS Sports Bracketology 👀
Wisconsin, Ohio State, SMU, and VCU
🎤 @kenzbrooksbetspic.twitter.com/myJCLRfYzH
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 16, 2026
The Buckeyes have an 11% chance to make the Elite Eight, according to the CBS Sports broadcast.
Ohio State and TCU kick off March Madness at 12:15 p.m. March 19.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball a ‘Cinderella pick’ for NCAA Tournament