Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes enter NCAA Tournament as first-round underdog

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Buckeyes enter NCAA Tournament as first-round underdog

Ohio State has lost four of its last five games as it enters the NCAA Tournament. And the folks in Las Vegas don’t believe the issues that have plagued the Buckeyes so far this March are solved in time for the first round of the Big Dance.

The Buckeyes open the tournament on Friday at 12:15 p.m. against Loyola Chicago in Pittsburgh, and they’ll do so as a 1.5-point underdog. Of course, that line could shift if Ohio State can get a good health update on Kyle Young or Zed Key, both of whom are working back from an injury that kept them out of the Big Ten Tournament loss last week.

Ohio State is a No. 7 seed in the South Region of the tournament this weekend, and if it can manage to beat the Ramblers, it will likely face No. 2 seed Villanova.

But it won’t be easy to beat Loyola Chicago. The folks in Las Vegas have already made the Buckeyes an underdog.

Lettermen Live hosted by Roosters

The Ohio State football team is only practicing, of course. But after the first two workouts of spring camp, it’s clear how seriously coach Ryan Day and his hungry roster are taking the opportunity to get back to work after missing out on their championship goals.

The basketball team doesn’t have as much flexibility to correct mistakes right now, of course. And heading into Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup, coach Chris Holtmann and his squad have been reeling while dealing with injuries and untimely losses. There’s still the possibility for a championship in the Big Dance, since everybody in the field remains alive in the title hunt. But all that matters right now is getting just one victory, and for Holtmann that could be hugely significant.

The Lettermen Live crew was back at Roosters on Monday afternoon to talk about the situation for both programs at Ohio State, and there was a lot of ground to cover in the fun, casual conversation. Former Buckeyes Bobby Carpenter and Justin Zwick were joined by Lettermen Row staff members Austin Ward and Spencer Holbrook to dive into the standouts from spring ball so far, the stakes for Holtmann and much more.

Ohio State will host top 2024 defensive end

Three weekends ago in Atlanta, Buford (Ga.) High School 2024 prospect KingJoseph Edwards stole the show at the Under-Armour Camp Series, dominating every rep against massive offensive linemen from the Southeast.

Following that performance, Edwards made his way onto my list of “Five Players Ohio State should offer” from that camp. The Buckeyes have not yet offered the 6-foot-5, 242-pound defensive end prospect but that could be coming soon. Larry Johnson has begun reaching out and a visit to Columbus has quickly been scheduled.

Edwards is an early Top 100 prospect for Buford. He’s just recently transferred back into the powerhouse program from nearby Hebron High School, though he began his high school career at Buford. He’s emerging as a national recruit because of his quick first step and powerful hands. He’s playing offense and defense now but sees himself as an edge rusher in college. He doesn’t lack confidence and thinks the Buckeyes offer could come soon.

READ: Buckeyes set to host rising 2024 defensive end from Georgia

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