Evaluating Ohio State's Candidacy for a No. 1 Seed

It is a virtual certainty that come Selection Sunday, three out of the four No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament will be Kansas , Kentucky , and Syracuse .

The fourth and final No. 1 seed is now very much in question. It looked to be Villanova's to lose for a while before they dropped games to Connecticut and Pittsburgh and fell off the top seed line.

Purdue was the next team to move up to a No. 1 seed, but when Robbie Hummel tore his ACL at Minnesota, ending his season, the Boilermakers fell to Michigan State at home, knocking them down to a No. 2 seed for the time being.

As a result, Duke moved up to a No. 1 seed but fell at Maryland tonight to fall into a tie for the ACC conference lead.

With Duke's No. 1 seed no longer a certainty, it is time to begin looking at other teams to possibly fill the Blue Devils' shoes. One team that definitely fits the profile of a potential No. 1 seed is the Ohio State Buckeyes .

Let's take a look at Ohio State's profile.

On Tuesday night, the Buckeyes clinched a share of the Big Ten title by defeating Illinois . Since losing at Minnesota on Jan. 9—Evan Turner's second game back from suffering broken bones in his back when he suffered a nasty spill against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 5—Ohio State has rolled off a 13-2 streak, losing only at West Virginia and to Purdue in the process, and finished Big Ten play 14-4.

The Buckeyes have four top 25 RPI victories—California (at Madison Square Garden), at Purdue , Wisconsin , and at Michigan State . Ohio State lost to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden when the Tar Heels were playing well, and at Michigan , although that loss carries an asterisk because the Buckeyes played without Turner. 

Ohio State has the makings of a dangerous tournament team, starting with the otherworldly Turner, who is one of the front-runners, if not the front-runner, for the National Player of the Year Award. The 6'7" Turner fills the stat sheet every game, averaging 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists per game.

However, Turner is far from the only weapon the Buckeyes have.

Ohio State has exceptional guard play, which is one of the ingredients for success in the NCAA Tournament, as well as balance. Sophomore William Buford averages 14 points and five rebounds per game, while junior David Lighty averages 12 points and five rebounds per game.

They also have a dangerous three-point shooter in junior guard Jon Diebler , a 42 percent three-point shooter who has made five three-pointers or more 10 times this year. Up front, 6'8" forward Dallas Lauderdale averages five rebounds and two blocks per game, providing the Buckeyes with strong interior play. 

If Ohio State has an Achilles' heel, it is their depth. Diebler averages 37 minutes a game, Lighty 36 minutes, Turner 35 minutes, and Buford 34 minutes.

Lauderdale provides 26 minutes a game off the bench, but there is then a steep drop-off to reserves and senior guards P.J. Hill and Jeremie Simmons , who average 14 and 13 minutes a game respectively, as well as senior center Kyle Madsen , who averages 13 minutes a game.

So, can the Buckeyes get the fourth and final No. 1 seed? Should they win the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, where they are the top seed, that would carry a huge amount of sway with the Selection Committee.

Their chances will especially be bolstered if Syracuse wins the Big East Tournament, preventing Villanova or West Virginia from moving up the seed line ahead of them, and if New Mexico doesn't win the Mountain West Tournament, as the Lobos may have a case for a No. 1 seed come Selection Sunday should they win the Mountain West tournament.