Ohio State Basketball: Teams That Buckeyes Want to Avoid in the NCAA Tournament

Ohio State has the talent to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but the squad is not above a first-round exit.

D'Angelo Russell has been one of the best players in the nation, while the rest of the supporting cast is capable of big things. However, the up-and-down season has shown us there are major flaws on this team that the right opponent can exploit.

Obviously, matching up against college basketball's elite, such as Kentucky, Duke or Virginia, would be a tough task. Instead of worrying about these hypothetical battles, we can examine the potential traps in the round of 64.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ohio State listed as a No. 8 seed after the recent win over Penn State. This means the squad seems destined to be involved in one of the close 8-9 or 7-10 games in the opening round.

These teams are not necessarily all better than the Buckeyes based on what they have done this year, but each of them has the ability to earn a win in a potential tournament matchup.

A common theme in Ohio State's losses this year has been the inability to win the battle on the glass. Out of the eight defeats, the squad has only finished with more rebounds than the opponent once.

The last thing the Buckeyes should want to see in the NCAA tournament is a team that can take advantage of this with a great frontcourt. This should make a potential matchup with Texas one of the worst nightmares for Thad Matta. 

Despite some struggles this season, the Longhorns have one of the most talented frontcourts in the nation. Freshman Myles Turner could be a lottery pick this summer, while Jonathan Holmes, Cameron Ridley and Connor Lammert all average at least five rebounds per game while doing work in the low post.

Amir Williams has been up and down for Ohio State, but he is the only one who can even come close to matching up in the paint. Smaller players such as Sam Thompson, Marc Loving and Jae'Sean Tate will just get pushed around.

After going through the gauntlet of the Big 12, point guard Isaiah Taylor and the rest of Texas will be ready to take out its frustration on someone in the NCAA tournament. Hopefully for the Buckeyes, it will be someone else.

Although San Diego State doesn't get a lot of respect on a national level thanks to a down year in the Mountain West, it still knows how to play defense.

The ability to keep opponents off the board was seen in the 53-49 win over Utah as well as the 61-59 loss to Arizona on a neutral floor. Both teams have proved to be among the best in the nation this season, and the Aztecs showed they can play at this level.

According to KenPom.com, San Diego State has the fourth-most efficient defense in the nation with a mark that would have been No. 1 a year ago (Kentucky and Virginia are really ruining the curve). It allows teams to make just 41.8 percent of two-point attempts and 29.8 percent of three-point attempts, each of which ranks among the top 15 in the nation.

Ohio State does a great job of moving the ball to get open looks and knocking down those shots. However, the Aztecs can counter this with great rotations and strong on-ball play to make sure every attempt is a difficult one.

Considering the Buckeyes have shot just 24.2 percent from three in the eight losses, this could make a big difference.

With a veteran head coach in Steve Fisher and a team that went to the Sweet 16 a year ago, this would be a scary team to face in the first round.

This is a team no one should want to face early. St. John's is much better than its middling seed will indicate.

After a rough stretch in the middle of the season, the Red Storm have turned things around to win seven of their last eight games heading into the final game at Villanova.

What makes St. John's so dangerous is the ability to get a lot of production from a number of different places. D'Angelo Harrison is one of the more versatile players in the Big East, averaging 17.9 points per game, while Rysheed Jordan, Sir'Dominic Pointer and Phil Greene IV all average more than 13 points per game.

Ohio State has some quality defenders on the roster, but it will be a real challenge matching up with each of these four players, any of whom can go off for over 20 on a given night.

With Chris Obekpa also ranking fourth in the nation with 3.21 blocks per game, it won't be easy to score in the paint. This will create a challenge on both ends of the court for any team, including the Buckeyes.

You can judge Texas A&M for having zero wins against the RPI Top 50, but that's only one fewer than Ohio State. This alone is not a reason to count out the Aggies this postseason.

The truth is Texas A&M has had a strong year behind Houston transfer Danuel House, who is leading the team with 14.8 points per game and can score both inside and out.

What makes this a tough matchup for Ohio State is its size in the backcourt. With a lineup of Alex Caruso (6'5"), Jordan Green (6'5") and House (6'7"), it could put Shannon Scott and D'Angelo Russell at a disadvantage.

Although few people have been able to guard Russell this year at any position, the extra length will certainly reduce his vision and ability to pass the ball. Caruso specifically does a good job of cutting down lanes and ranks second in the SEC with 1.9 steals per game.

Additionally, the Aggies should also be able to win the rebounding battle thanks to the strong play down low from Kourtney Roberson and Jalen Jones. According to TeamRankings.com, the squad is well above average in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages this season.

The Texas slide already noted how important rebounding has been for Ohio State this year, but Texas A&M can also take advantage and earn an opening-round win.

There are certainly Ohio State fans hoping for this matchup. As a No. 11 seed last season, Dayton upset the No. 6 Buckeyes 60-59 in the very first game of the 2014 NCAA tournament.

The stars could certainly line up for a revenge game with Ohio State coming away on top.

On the other hand, last year's game gave Dayton plenty of confidence that it could beat its big brother in the state of Ohio. The win fueled the Flyers to go on to beat Syracuse and Stanford before finally losing to Florida in the Elite Eight. 

Dayton returned a number of key players from last year's team, including Jordan Sibert and Dyshawn Pierre. Sibert—who started his career at Ohio State—currently leads the squad with 16.6 points per game and is a big reason the team is on the brink of an outright Atlantic 10 championship.

The Flyers don't have a lot of size, but they know how to win and have a chance to remain a thorn in the side of Ohio State. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter. If it's March, I'm talking about pretty much nothing but college basketball.