As No. 1 overall seed, Ohio State deserved a better draw

If having its athletic director serve as chairman of the NCAA tournament selection committee gave Ohio State an advantage over the rest of the field, you'd never know it from looking at the draw.

Oh sure, the Buckeyes did indeed receive the No. 1 overall seed as expected on Sunday, yet they also somehow got rewarded with probably the toughest of the four regions.

Six of the top eight seeds in the East Region either won their regular-season title or their conference tournament. Aside from Ohio State's first game against either Texas-San Antonio or Alabama State, the Buckeyes likely will not have an easy matchup the rest of the tournament.

In the round of 32, Ohio State could face Colonial Athletic Association champ George Mason, an experienced team that had won 16 straight prior to a loss to VCU in the league tournament semifinals.

In the Sweet 16, Ohio State could face SEC tournament champion Kentucky, which enters the NCAA tournament on a six-game win streak that includes two victories over Florida and one apiece against Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

And in the Elite Eight, Ohio State could face anyone from ACC regular-season champ North Carolina, to Big East power Syracuse, to Atlantic 10 winner Xavier, to Pac-10 tournament champ Washington.

Ohio State's difficult draw is reminiscent of the obstacle-laden path given to No. 1 overall seed Kansas a year ago. Instead of rewarding the Jayhawks for their terrific regular season with a smooth path to Indianapolis, the committee put the likes of Northern Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Georgetown and Ohio State in their bracket.

If Ohio State received the toughest draw of any No. 1 seed this season, it was Pittsburgh for which the selection committee rolled out a red carpet. Second-seeded Florida and fifth-seeded Kansas State both were seeded generously, while third-seeded BYU hasn't looked the same since the suspension of Brandon Davies.

There's no doubt Ohio State is formidable enough to escape the East Region and advance to Houston despite its difficult draw. It just deserved better than this obstacle-ridden path based on its superb regular season.

Aki Ross Ashley Tappin Carmen Electra Amanda Marcum Leila Arcieri