Buckeyes are Top Overall Seed in NCAA Tournament, Host 1st & 2nd Rounds
4/29/2024 6:22:00 PM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off another Big Ten regular season and tournament title, the Ohio State men’s tennis team has earned the No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round matches this weekend. The Buckeyes will open against Cleveland State in the first round on Friday afternoon while Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State will play in the other first round match on Friday morning.
This is the 24th 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 67-23 with runner-up finishes in 2009, 2018 and last year in 2023.
Ohio State is hosting opening round matches for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons. The Buckeyes have advanced past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament 19 times in its previous 23 appearances and have won at least one match in every year but one. Last year, Ohio State swept ETSU and Louisville in the first two rounds in Columbus and eventually advanced to the NCAA Championship match before falling to Virginia.
This will be the fourth meeting in the NCAA Tournament between Cleveland State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes swept the Vikings 4-0 in the opening round in Columbus in 2008, 2013 and 2019. CSU is 21-6 on the season and won both the regular season and Horizon League Tournament title this season. Vanderbilt is 13-15 this season after falling in the second round of the SEC Tournament last weekend. Oklahoma State has had a solid season, going 17-9 and advancing to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Ohio State is a remarkable 30-1 on the season, won the Big Ten regular season title for the 18th consecutive year, won the Big Ten Tournament title for the 17th time and also won the ITA Indoor Team National Championship for the third time in program history. Six Buckeyes earned All-Big Ten honors for the third consecutive year and director of tennis Ty Tucker was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 17th time. Three different Buckeyes have more than 30 singles wins this season.
The winners of the first-round matches on Friday will meet at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Ohio State women’s team was also selected to host this weekend and the first two women’s matches will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, ahead of the men’s second round match. All matches will take place outside at the Auer Tennis Complex, weather permitting.
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