Buckeyes Earn No. 3 Seed, Host 1st & 2nd Rounds of NCAA Tournament
4/27/2026 4:53:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Ohio State takes on Buffalo in opener Friday
2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket  | Ohio State NCAA Tournament History
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a 20th-consecutive Big Ten regular-season title, the Ohio State men's tennis team (29-4) has earned a No. 3 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round matches this weekend. The Buckeyes will open against Buffalo (16-6) in the first round Friday (1 p.m.) while California (16-13) and Kentucky (17-13) will play in the other first round match at 10 a.m. Friday.
This is the 26th time the Buckeyes have been selected for the NCAA Championship with every appearance coming under the direction of head coach Ty Tucker. Ohio State has an overall record of 73-25 with runner-up finishes in 2009, 2018 and 2023.
Ohio State is hosting opening round matches for the 19th time in the last 20 seasons. The Buckeyes have advanced past the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament 21 times in its previous 25 appearances and have won at least one match in every year but one. Last year, Ohio State swept Buffalo (4-0) and then beat Auburn (4-1) in the first two rounds in Columbus. The Buckeyes then played host and fell to Mississippi State (4-2) in the Super Regional.Â
This will be the third meeting in the NCAA Tournament between Buffalo and Ohio State. The Buckeyes swept Buffalo 4-0 in the opening round in Columbus in both 2015 and last year in 2025. The Bulls went 8-2 in the MAC regular season, winning a share of the conference title, and then won the MAC Tournament title. California finished 6-7 in the ACC and fell in the ACC quarterfinals to Virginia. Kentucky finished with a 5-9 record in the SEC. The Wildcats fell to Georgia in the second round of the SEC Tournament.Â
Ohio State is 29-4 on the 2025-26 season, which included a 12-1 record in Big Ten play. That earned the Buckeyes a 20th-consecutive Big Ten regular-season title and their 23rd overall. The Buckeyes also advanced to the finals of the Big Ten tournament for the 22nd-consecutive season. Aidan Kim and Jack Anthrop were named to the All-Big Ten First Team while Preston Stearns and Nikita Filin earned second team All-Big Ten honors. Kim and Filin were named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team as well. Â
The winners of the first-round matches Friday will meet at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second round. 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. The women's second round match will be at noon Sunday. All matches feature free admission and parking and will take place outside at the Auer Tennis Complex, weather permitting.
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