Buckeyes No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Host 1st & 2nd Rounds
5/1/2023 7:08:55 PM | Men's Tennis
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET | OHIO STATE NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fresh off a Big Ten regular season and tournament title, the Ohio State men’s tennis team has been awarded the No. 3 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round matches this weekend. The Buckeyes will open against East Tennessee State in the first round on Saturday at 1 p.m. while Louisville and Texas Tech will play in the other first round match at 10 a.m.
This is the 23rd time the Buckeyes have been selected for the NCAA Championship with every appearance coming under the direction of head coach Ty Tucker. They have an overall record of 62-22 with a pair of runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2018.
Ohio State is hosting opening round matches for the 16th time in the last 17 seasons. The Buckeyes have advanced past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament 18 times in its previous 22 appearances and have won at least one match in every year but one. Last year, Ohio State won its first two matches on the opening weekend and then also beat USC in the Super Regional Weekend in Columbus. The Buckeyes ultimately reached the semifinals after beating rival Michigan.
This will be the fourth meeting in the NCAA Tournament between Ohio State and East Tennessee State. The Buckeyes won 4-0 in the second round in 2008 and 4-0 in the opening round in both 2012 and 2018.
ETSU swept its way through the Southern Conference Tournament, earning the conference’s at-large berth. The Buccaneers, who are 12-13 overall on the season, swept top-seeded Chattanooga 4-0 in last Saturday’s championship match. Louisville is 16-11 on the year and had two competitive 4-3 losses to Kentucky and Michigan earlier this season. Texas Tech was another bubble team that was rewarded for a solid year. The Red Raiders are 14-11 and own a pair of Top-25 wins over Memphis and Middle Tennessee State.
Ohio State is 29-2 on the season and its record-setting 17th consecutive Big Ten regular season title and its 15th Big Ten Tournament title. The Buckeyes have 12 wins over ranked opponents and have beaten rivals Michigan and Illinois a total of seven times this season. Five Buckeyes are currently ranked in the Top 40 of the singles rankings, the most of any school in the country. A total of six Buckeyes earned All-Big Ten honors and Ty Tucker was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 15th time.
The winners of the first-round matches on Saturday will meet at noon on Sunday. All matches will take place outside at the Auer Tennis Complex, weather permitting.
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