{
  "id": 2921705,
  "title": "Ohio State basketball moves up in latest ESPN bracketology projection",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ohio-state-basketball-moves-up-in-latest-espn-bracketology-projection",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T02:29:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-basketball-moves-latest-022943311.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ohio State basketball team has yet to play a game in the 2026-27 season, but the national media, including ESPN, has already projected their performance. ESPN's bracketology expert, Joe Lunardi, has released his latest NCAA Tournament projections, and the Buckeyes are currently ranked as an eighth seed. While many national observers are not overly enthusiastic about Ohio State, the performance of the coaching staff, players, and even some alumni suggests a positive outlook. Despite this optimism, Lunardi's assessment has not changed significantly from his previous bracketology article, keeping the Buckeyes at No. 8. This slight improvement from the previous ranking is promising, but Lunardi requires more evidence to fully endorse the team's potential. Ohio State made the tournament last year, and the head coach, Jake Diebler, emphasizes the need for the program to take significant steps forward this season. Currently, ESPN's NCAA bracket expert has the Buckeyes in the Midwest region, facing off against Missouri. This placement suggests a middling finish in the Big Ten conference, and it is anticipated that the team will aim for better results in the upcoming season.",
  "summary": "It's deep in the offseason for college basketball but it's never a bad time to look at where Ohio State is in Joe Lunardi's bracketology.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Where is Iowa basketball in updated ESPN bracketology?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/where-is-iowa-basketball-in-updated-espn-bracketology",
        "published": "2026-08-23T15:15:21.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}