National semifinalist Ohio State was a two seed in the NCAA tournament because many rankings, including the national polls, put it just behind the first tier of men's college-basketball teams heading into the tournament. But the most-reliable rankings correctly pegged the Buckeyes as one of the two or three best teams in the country, worthy of a Final Four berth and a tough test for the East region's top-seeded Syracuse in the Elite Eight even before the Orange lost Fab Melo for the tournament because of eligibility problems. Without Melo, Syracuse fell to Ohio State, 77-70, on Saturday.

Ohio...