Thursday March 12th, 2026
THE LANTERN
Issue 21, Year 145.
The independent student voice of Ohio State University since 1881.
Carter’s gone.What’s next? Davis Beatty and Trevor Voigt Managing Campus Editor and Campus Senior Writer
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ollowing the volves the hiring of shock and cona private consulting fusion of former Presfirm to conduct the ident Walter “Ted” search. Carter Jr.’s sudden Marcus said what resignation, the Ohio Ohio State needs State community from an interim faces the question: president, who “What’s next?” serves while that The Board of Trustsearch is underway, ees will now not only is a sense of stabilhave to decide who ity and reassurance the next president coming from a uniwill be and if there versity insider. will be an interim “I would advise president, but how not bringing in an to regain the trust of outsider, but trying Ohio State’s students, to find someone infaculty and beyond, side. It may be a prosay two experts who vost or dean of one study higher educaof the schools that’s tion leadership. been there for quite In fact, the board a while, who’s seen set a meeting for as a neutral, stable Thursday morning person, and who’s to announce the next also probably not university leader, interested in being though it’s not clear president,” Marcus if that person will said. “I assume there SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR be the next univermust be people like Former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. speaks to The Lantern on Jan. 20. sity president or an that somewhere interim. there.” When Matt Mayhew, a Flesher proJohnson resigned in 2023 after Carter announced on Monday he Mayhew said the change in presifessor of educational administration at just two-and-a-half years on the job, resigned over the weekend after disdents also raises questions about Ohio Ohio State, learned of Carter’s resigsimilar to Carter. To this day, it is still closing to the board he had an inapState’s direction and what will happen nation, he said all he could think was unclear why she stepped down. propriate relationship with someone with Carter’s initiatives, including AI “Oh, my goodness, not again.” Ann Marcus, a New York University seeking public resources. That means fluency. He said the nature of Carter’s “I think what really hurts the comprofessor of higher education focused Carter’s replacement will become Ohio resignation creates a morale issue. munity is this just happened recently on leadership studies, said that the State’s sixth president within the past with president [former President process of appointing a new president 14 years, according to Ohio State’s TED CARTER continues on Kristina M. Johnson], right?” Mayhew usually takes a good amount of time website. page 3. said. to be done properly, and often in-
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CAMPUS
On page 5
On page 7
On page 8
TBDBITL goes to Ireland
Paul Keels Hall of Fame induction
Ohio State and March Madness
What Ted Carter leaves behind: millions
Davis Beatty and Ally Wolfe Managing Campus Editor and Campus Editor
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s former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. leaves Ohio State, he will also leave behind millions of dollars. Per Carter’s contract, which was obtained by The Lantern, Carter will be losing at least $3 million in total pay and benefits. This excludes potential raises and performance awards, which he most likely would have received if he remained until his contract ended on Dec. 31, 2028. On Monday, Carter announced he will be resigning from his presidency, citing an inappropriate relationship. The “inappropriate relationship” is seemingly with Krisanthe Vlachos, a host of “The Callout” podcast, which is meant to connect military and veterans to the future of energy and utilities using AI, per prior Lantern reporting. It is still not known what the nature of the relationship was. Within his contract, there aren’t details explaining what Carter’s benefits would be in lieu of him resigning. When directly asked the nature of Carter’s resignation, Ben Johnson, a university spokesperson, would only answer that Carter resigned. Here is what was outlined in the contract. Carter began on Jan. 1, 2024 and was expected to work until Dec. 31, 2028, according to the contract. His sudden resignation happened a little over two years into his role. Since 2024, Carter has received two annual performance awards, which add up to about $560,000. In addition, Carter has received two merit raises, increasing his base rate by 3.5% in 2024 and 4.5% in 2025, adding about $90,000 more to his base salary.
Over the past two years, Carter has earned $2.85 million in base salary pay, performance awards and merit based raises. Carter was eligible for an annual performance award equal to 30% of his annual base salary, the contract said. If Carter was terminated without cause, the contract states the university would pay Carter a full year of his DANIEL BUSH | CAMPUS PHOTO EDITOR original base salary, about $1.1 Former President Ted Carter meets with Lantern editors at University Square in 2025. million, excluding any raises until Dec. 31, 2024. He would have If Carter remained at the university or performance received $250,000 every Dec. 31 until until 2028, Carter and his wife, Lynda awards. his contract ended. Carter, would have had access to the Alternatively, if Carter was termiIn a Jan. 16 letter, Carter declined to Wexner Medical Center Executive nated with cause, the university is enter into the arrangement. Instead, Health Program and could purchase not obligated to provide said pay, the he agreed for Ohio State to provide season tickets to football, men’s contract states. a series of retention awards totalling and women’s basketball games with In addition, Ohio State provides a $1.25 million that would have been seating options identical to those of fringe benefit each January to accomallocated to Carter if he remained at former trustees, the contract said. modate expenses such as a car, tax Ohio State until his contract ended in Carter and his wife currently reside planning services and personal travel. December 2028. in the President’s residence, paid by In 2024 and 2025, Carter received For retirement, the university prothe university, which is worth $2.1 $50,000. In 2026, Carter received million, per Zillow. $75,000 to add flexibility when Carter vides $300,000 each year to the Ohio State’s Retirement Continuation Plan was travelling with his wife, Lynda II. If Carter was terminated without Carter, according to a Jan. 7 amendcause, the university will provide a ment letter. LEFT BEHIND continues on portion of that fund for the 65 days Carter also had a joint and survivor page 4. split dollar life insurance arrangement Carter was in office in 2026.
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | @thelanternosu | 3
Experts voice leadership concerns
Continued from page 1.
“We don’t have all the context, and we don’t know all the ins and outs, but it sounds like this inappropriateness is something that really is hard hitting to the morale or the community,” Mayhew said. “How do we center this university as great and as excellent, given what we’ve seen recently?” In an email sent Monday afternoon, Ravi Bellamkonda, executive vice president and provost, and John Warner, CEO of the Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president, reassured the university students and staff of Ohio State’s success. “We echo the view of the Board of Trustees that we have tremendous strength, and our momentum is and will continue to be strong,” the email said. Mayhew said that although the trustees are not responsible for someone’s actions, it diminishes the community’s trust in Ohio State’s leadership. “Now, they’re not responsible, of
SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR
course, for any one person’s behavior,” Mayhew said. “But the idea that this seems like a pattern, like we can’t get it right, can’t get the right person installed into the role, I think it does erode a lot of confidence among the Ohio State community.” Marcus said stability is key in this case due to the unusual nature of having two university presidents resign after a short term, citing Johnson’s resignation. Before Carter, Johnson had the second-shortest term of any Ohio State president in history, per prior Lantern reporting. “It’s just a shock and it makes people feel anxious and makes some people, you know, feel paranoid, and especially since [Carter] is so new, and the other one, Kristina [Johnson], I was wondering what happened to her, it sounds like it’s an eternal mystery,” Marcus said. “So people don’t like having to worry about who the president is.” Despite the board not being able to disclose everything that goes into deciding a president, Mayhew said the board needs to be transparent to regain that trust. “I think whatever process they put into place to find the new president, I think they should let the community know about the decision-making that needs to be known,” Mayhew said. Mayhew said students and faculty are receiving similar communication about Carter’s resignation and potential next steps. So far, Ohio State has sent one email to students and the community, and another to faculty and staff announcing Carter’s resignation. This was in addition to Bellamkonda and Warner’s email to students, faculty and staff. When searching for a new president, institutions will bring in an external consultation firm who will present candidates and advise the subcommittee of the Board of Trustees
on its selection, and Marcus said that search firms push very hard for total confidentiality. Marcus identified Isaacson, Miller and The Association of Governing Board of Universities and Colleges, also known as AGB, as two firms that commonly serve in these advisory roles. “The firm meets with the committee,” Marcus said. “They spend time preparing a job description and they — since some of these firms do a lot of presidential searches — already have candidates, they vetted one way or the other, but also they’ll then promote the job and screen [and then have] conversations with potential candidates before the search committee actually meets with them.” Marcus said that this process can be seen as beneficial by some in the university community but as a major disadvantage by others. “I have mixed feelings about it. I mean, [the consulting firms] provide a good service, but I think they tend to be overly protective of the candidates in the sense of keeping everything very confidential and nobody knows,” Marcus said. “It’s true that some candidates don’t want to be known to be looking if they’re a sitting president, but the downside of that is that no one is that faculty and students and staff feel completely shut out.” Mayhew has been at Ohio State for 10 years and he said it is common for faculty to stay longer than the four years students usually attend college. Yet, Mayhew said it is difficult to find stability when there are many shifts among those leading the university. “It’s really difficult to get your footing as a faculty member to figure out, ‘Okay, what direction are we heading in, and how can I support the institution moving in that direction?’” Marcus said that if you ask an average college student, many of them might not know who the president of the university is, and many of them may not even care. “What they want is a stable organization that people have confidence in,” Marcus said. “And I would say that’s
true for faculty, too.” Despite the seemingly constant transitions, Mayhew said that faculty are focused on teaching their students well. “We do care about our students, and so I think we’re just trying to double down on being as thorough, careful and considerate to our students,” Mayhew said. “I think that teaching well is not something that should change based on who’s in charge.” Mayhew said that it is common for new presidents to draw back past presidents’ initiatives. “We have to wonder, are those initiatives going to hold steam, or are we going to just pull out of those initiatives or not support them to the same degree that we were and just wait for a new president to come in and decide what initiatives that person wants to take on,” Mayhew said. In her short tenure, Johnson is known for removing former President Michael Drake’s Digital Flagship iPad distribution program, which put a free iPad in the hands of every freshman, per prior Lantern reporting. Throughout his two years as president, Carter introduced the AI fluency initiative, meant to teach students how to use AI as a tool to innovate and learn, and Buckeye Bridge, which provides students who graduated with an associate degree from Columbus State Community College to earn a bachelors at Ohio State for free. Carter developed a 10-year strategic plan, Education for Citizenship 2035, to focus on academics, research and creative expression, health care, talent and culture, operations and collegiate athletics, according to its page. Mayhew said that when there are so many transitions between presidents, students and faculty have difficulty knowing what to support. “Okay, this is our leader. We’re going to support these initiatives, and this is how we’re going to do it,” Mayhew said. “Okay, now there’s going to be somebody new, and who knows if the same priorities are going to be in place for this new president as it was for Carter. It’s exhausting.”
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | www.thelantern.com | 4
Carter’s contract explained Continued from page 2. For university-relationed business and entertainment events, the contract said Ohio State will pay for reasonable staffing, entertainment budget and other resources. Carter was responsible for personal food, incidentals and housekeeping services. Per his contract, Carter originally had 30 days to move out of the Bexley residence but was granted a 60-day extension by the Board of Trustees, per prior Lantern reporting. Within the fringe benefits section of
his contract, it also states Carter held a membership to a mutually-agreed upon local country club meant “for the purpose of fostering relationships for the benefit of the University.” Ohio State paid for the initiation fees and membership dues, according to the contract, and Carter was responsible for personal costs. It does not name the club in which Carter was a member. Carter was also provided $45,000 in relocation expenses that he would have been required to repay, if he left within two years.
SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR
Former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. in January 2026.
Buck That! moves to ICCA Continued from page 6.
Watters said this is not only an achievement for Buck That!, but for the Ohio State music community as a whole. Along with Buck That!, The Ohio State of Mind, Ohio State’s all-gender a capella group, have also advanced to the semifinals Saturday. “It’s just another win and another celebration for Ohio State music groups,” Watters said. “I think it’s just awesome to be able to bring attention to a capella and to voice and to music at Ohio State. We, in Buck That!, believe that voice is a form of liberation. Voice is a powerful tool to be able to do good in the world, and so to see music groups, and specifically for us vocal groups, getting that recognition and that push forward in making it to semifinals, it’s really special.” In recognizing Buck That!’s success
throughout the year, Travers echoed this thought. “It’s been such a privilege as a group to have experienced this,” Travers said. “We feel so lucky.” Both this achievement within the ICCA and their impact within the Ohio State community have made a lasting mark on their group’s ideology, Watters said. “We are always trying to infuse passion and story and art into everything that we do, and I think that the student-run organizations at Ohio State are just so powerful and deserve recognition and support, always,” Watters said. Tickets for the ICCA Midwest semifinals can be purchased online for a discounted student rate of $22.95, including fees. For more information on Buck That!, or to view their performance videos, visit their website.
Buckeyes in March Madness Continued from page 8. Head-to-head results, performance against common opponents and the circumstances surrounding games can all factor into the committee’s decision-making process. “If they played head to head, that certainly would matter,” Warlock said. Player availability can also influence how a team’s resume is evaluated. “If a team clearly is better with a player on the roster and that player wasn’t available, that can be part of the evaluation,” Warlock said. In Ohio State’s case, injuries played a role in several of the Buckeyes’ loss-
es. Five of their 11 defeats came without one of the team’s regular starters in the lineup. Entering the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes are now fully healthy, a factor head coach Jake Diebler says the committee should consider. “I thought that if we could get healthier, we could play our best ball at the right moment,” Diebler said. “And I think that’s what we’re seeing.” Entering the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes are projected as a No. 9 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology. But while projections suggest Ohio State is safely in the field, its return to the NCAA Tournament for the first
time in four years will ultimately be decided on Selection Sunday, when the committee finalizes the 68-team bracket. “At the end of the day, the committee’s job is to select the 68 best teams based on the entire body of work,” Warlock said.
DOMINIC FERRARO | FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Bruce Thornton became the all-time points leader for Ohio State Basketball on March 7.
ARTS & LIFE
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | @thelanternosu | 5
On page 3 Ted Carter’s contract 101
On page 6 A capella group Buck That!
TBDBITL goes global for St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland
Mia Ross Lantern Reporter
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hio State’s marching band — best known as “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” or TBDBITL — is Ireland-bound for the spring break of a lifetime. The group will perform in the famed Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and sightsee together for the band’s first trip out of the country in over a decade. Associates with the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade first contacted the marching band’s director, Christopher Hoch, over two years ago, prompting an official application and acceptance in spring 2024. The group will travel as a unit of 247 members, splitting time between the March 17 parade and visits to sights such as The Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle & Gardens. “This will be my second opportunity to take the marching band overseas,” Hoch said. “[The] first time we did was in 2015, so it’s been more than 10 years, and I think it’s about time to get out there and have this experience.” In 2015, TBDBITL traveled to London to march at a Regent Street parade and perform at Wembley Stadium prior to the NFL matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, per a previous Ohio State article. This trip was brief, however, with a turn-around time of only three days, Hoch said. TBDBITL’s Ireland trip will be a much different experience, with the trip spanning Saturday to Mar. 21, leaving plenty of time for sightseeing. The band has been anticipating the trip for roughly a year-and-a-half, as Hoch made the official announcement
in October 2024. time to just be in Ireland and explore the music put together, memorized “We were on the practice field, things as well, so I think there’s gonna and then getting the parade [and] the circled up, and they told us we were be a lot of fun things that we get to do physicality required — getting everygoing to Ireland — it was just unreal,” there for sure.” body back in shape with some practicsaid Bobby Petty, a fifth-year in trumHoch said the band will meet for es and things.” pet performance and E-flat cornet three rehearsals beginning March 2 During their preparation, TBDBITL player. “Especially knowing it was goup through their departure. Due to the has been practicing their standard ing to be my last season of band. This fact that TBDBITL is not in session music in addition to any special pieces will be my last thing to go out with.” during the spring, he said special perselected for the trip. Petty said his career with TBDBITL mission was required for the parade The parade runs from 11 a.m. to 1 has been full of excitement. practice sessions. p.m. GMT, or 7 to 9 a.m. EST, with the “I think [my favorite experience so “For us, we do enough of them band performing at 8 a.m. EST. It will far is] our playoff run last year, getting throughout the course of the season be live streamed on the international to be there for all of those games was that usually the students are pretty streaming platform RTÉ One and via just unreal,” Petty said. “Especially good at getting back into it,” Hoch the RTÉ Player mobile app. because we were all so bummed after said. “[It’s] just a matter of getting we lost the game to Michigan … just get[ting] to be there and celebrate with our team and all of our fans for all that was just, I mean, that kind of made it so I’ve been able to do all the things, because the National Championship is not something everybody gets to go to.” Now, his experience comes to an end with the opportunity to travel abroad and perform in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “There’s so much that we get to do — obviously the parade is going to be awesome because not many people get to say they marched in the Dublin St. Patrick’s PHOTO COURTESY OF OHIO STATE MARCHING BAND Day parade,” Petty said. The Ohio State Marching Band will travel to Dublin, Ireland, to perform at the St. Pat“We’re gonna have a lot of rick’s Day Parade.
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | www.thelantern.com | 6
Ohio State’s viral a capella group Buck That! proceeds to Midwest ICCA semifinals
Helena Hennessy Arts & Life Senior Writer
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he International Championship However, their participation in the “It takes so long to craft something of Collegiate A Capella is not TikTok trend — which went on to for a competition set,” Watters said. merely a “Pitch Perfect” plotline — it become a routine gig for the group — “It is the one thing that you’re carryis entirely real, and Ohio State’s Buck was not the largest part of their year. ing with you throughout the entire That! a capella team is dominating the Watters said the team’s efforts to experience.” competition. prepare for the ICCA started in April This spring, Watters said the team Buck That!, one of Ohio State’s 2025, when they selected the songs has been preparing for the competicompetitive men’s a capella groups, they would perform at the competition by focusing on the finer details of have advanced to the semifinals in the tion. their performance. 2026 Midwest International Champi“We need to know what the songs “We sort of jump into the grueling onship of Collegiate A Capella. Their are going to be as effort of preparing performance will take place at 7 p.m. we’re getfor compeSaturday in Indianapolis at Warren ting tition, Central High School. “It can be very intimidating when you step onto the stage because you’ve been rehearsing for months, but this is your one shot,” said Rae Watters, president of Buck That! and a second-year graduate student in design. Buck That! rose to TikTok stardom in October 2025 when a video of their surprise birthday dorm performance — of Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex” — went viral, amassing 5.4 million likes and 25.9 million views. More viral performances of the same nature followed, with another video totaling 2.4 million likes and one receiving 1.8 million likes. SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR Garret Travers, a fourth-year in Buck That!’s 2026 promotional photo for the Midwest ICCA. political science and journalism, music director for Buck That! and former Lantern reporter, said into the season, so in the summer, where we have a little bit more the group was not the first collegiate we pick those songs to sort of solidify rehearsals every week,” Watters said. a capella team to participate in the what our story is going to be and what “We’re focusing a lot on the musisurprise performance trend. the message of our set is going to look cality, telling the story of the set and “Back in maybe mid-September or like,” Watters said. “Then in the fall, bringing in choreography. So, it really early October [2025], someone had we’re focusing on growing our comis a gradual effort that takes a very sent us a video, and they’re like, ‘Hey, panionship and our musicianship as a long time and a lot of commitment I just saw this at Indiana [University]. group in preparation for ICCA.” from everyone.” Can you guys come sing to my friend The team performs the same set of Since their participation in the Tikfor her birthday?’” Travers said. “At songs for every round of the ICCA. Tok trend, birthday-themed for-hire first, we were kind of unsure. We were This year’s lineup, for their set titled, performances have become a regular like, ‘The nature of the song is very “Liberate,” includes “Won’t Take Me part of the group’s schedule, Travers forward,’ with some of the themes of Alive” by Dirty Honey, “Blood Sweat said. Through this, he said the group the song. So it took a little bit of con& Tears” by Sheryl Lee Ralph, “epiphhas also been able to make a profit off vincing, but after a while, we ended up any” by Taylor Swift and “Nobody’s the large-scale demand. deciding to do it.” Soldier” by Hozier, Watters said. For an in-person surprise perfor-
mance, the group charges $100, putting their earnings towards their ICCA participation. “There’s a pretty hefty fee to apply for ICCA,” Travers said. “Then from there — travel fees and making sure all of those logistics work out.” On stage, Watters said in this year’s performance, the group is honing in on their themes of arrival and liberation — representing the idea of fighting back against hatred and hardship. “Before we stepped on the stage, we were just hungry, we were ready and we were excited,” Watter said. “It can feel like an out-of-body, like, your spirit leaving you experience when you step out there on the stage lights. But I think this time around, I’m very proud to say that we were all feeling excited.” Both on and off stage, the connections between the members of Buck That! are stronger than ever, Watters said. “We’ve been sort of building up our camaraderie throughout this entire year, and we’ve been through a lot together,” Watters said. “We’ve gone on trips, we’ve performed at invitationals, we’ve run around campus doing silly performances for others — it’s brought great joy, but it’s also brought great hardship.” Despite 2025 having been one of the group’s most transformational years, its members always stood strong within their brotherhood. “Not only are we very great friends, but we can also rely on each other when things get hard,” Watters said. “I would describe our bond as being vulnerable. I think that for us, it needs to be that way for the set that we’re performing and for competition.”
BUCK THAT! continues on page 4.
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | @thelanternosu | 7
Long-time Ohio State broadcaster to be inducted in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame
Reilly Cahill Sports Senior Writer
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ince 1998, the “Voice of the Buckeyes,” has broadcast the moments for Ohio State’s football and men’s basketball teams that have created lasting memories for fans. Paul Keels, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network and WBNS Radio broadcasting Buckeye football and men’s basketball, will now get a moment of his own. On June 6, Keels will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus. Bill Hosket, board member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame and member of the inaugural 2006 Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class, nominated Keels to be inducted into this year’s induction group. “[Keels] is one of the premier radio broadcasters, not only in the Big Ten, but probably in the country,” Hosket said. During Keels’ broadcasting career, he has won six National Sports Media Association Ohio Broadcaster of the Year awards and was inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2007. But the induction into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame stunned Keels. “I was floored and shocked,” Keels said. “Really kind of blown away.” Of the 14 inductees in the 2026 Class, Keels is the only broadcaster. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL KEELS The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame consists of men and women that were Paul Keels will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on June 6. players, coaches and contributors at the high school, college and proHosket said Keels, who has broadsional and refrained from all of that. fessional level; Keels will enter as a cast Ohio State games for 28 years, He’s just great at what he does.” contributor. has maintained professionalism on-air Ohio State men’s basketball coach “Players have to be retired, coachthroughout his career. Jake Diebler, who joins Keels and Ron es should be retired before they’re “He’s always fair and so many of Stokes on The Jake Diebler Show on inducted in the Hall of Fame,” Hosket the guys who get situated with a team The Fan 97.1 FM weekly, said Keels is said. “In the case of contributors, it’s kind of lean toward becoming homers worthy of the honor. usually someone that’s done someover time and say ‘we’ and all that “The level of respect is extremely thing extremely well and benefited the type of stuff on the air,” Hosket said. high,” Diebler said. “He’s a legend.” game of basketball in the state of Ohio “[Keels] has always been so profesDiebler compared Keels’ talent on over a number of years.”
the radio to a great point guard on the basketball court. “He’s like a great point guard when you’re on the radio with him,” Diebler said. “He just kind of gets you open looks, but he’s not afraid to ask tough questions.” Keels attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, then graduated from Xavier University with a degree in communications. Prior to calling Ohio State games, Keels broadcast other Ohio sports teams such as the University of Cincinnati in 1988 and from 1994-98, the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996 and served as its preseason announcer from 2000-10 on WKRC-TV. He also broadcast for the Cincinnati Reds on Fox Sports Ohio in 2010. “You don’t have to be from Ohio to be in the [Ohio Basketball] Hall of Fame, but [Keels] has Ohio roots and spent a lot of time in Cincinnati,” Hosket said. As a broadcaster for Ohio State, Keels has covered 17 NCAA Tournaments and two Final Four appearances for the Buckeyes men’s basketball team. “His voice is recognizable to any Ohio State fan,” Diebler said. Despite his award-winning career, Keels hopes that listeners will remember how he broadcast the core elements of each game. “To feel like they were being kept up to date with the time and the score,” Keels said. In addition to Keels’ accolades as broadcaster, Hosket commended the type of person Keels is off-air. “A lot of people will see him going into the Hall of Fame and know of his work, but they probably don’t know him personally as well as some of us,” Hosket said. “He’s just a tremendous person.”
Thursday March 12th, 2026 | www.thelantern.com | 8
SPORTS
On page 1 Ted Carter’s resignation
On page 5 Buckeyes across the pond
On page 7 Paul Keels honored
What goes into NCAA Tournament selection as Ohio State awaits its fate Jack Diwik Managing Sports Editor
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hio State’s NCAA Tournament hopes were clouded in uncertain-
ty. The Buckeyes had just dropped a crucial game at Iowa by 17 points, which moved them from one of the last teams in the Big Dance to one of the first teams out in ESPN bracket projections. That was 11 days ago. Now, after ripping off three straight wins, including one over then-No. 8 Purdue, to end the season, Ohio State is off the “bubble” and likely on its way to its first NCAA Tournament berth in four years. But what exactly does it mean to be on or off the bubble? Every March, the phrase dominates college basketball conversations as analysts and fans debate which teams should be among the final selections in the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field and which should be left out. Behind those debates lies a detailed evaluation process conducted by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. According to NCAA coordinator of men’s basketball tournament operations David Warlock, the selection committee tracks teams throughout the season as it compiles information to compare resumes ahead of Selection Sunday. “It’s a season-long evaluation of teams,” Warlock said. “The committee monitors conferences throughout the year and gathers information from a variety of sources.” Throughout the season, the
12-member selection committee, which is made up of athletic directors and conference commissioners from 12 conferences in Division I basketball, is tasked with monitoring teams while reviewing team sheets that compile results, statistics and key metrics used to evaluate each program’s resume. Those sheets include metrics such as the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), strength of record and predictive analytics such as KenPom and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index and Wins Above Bubble (WAB). NET, which replaced the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) in 2018, is the primary indicator the committee uses to measure teams’ success. The formula has two components: the team value index, which measures results, and adjusted net efficiency, which is the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiencies. “The metrics help sort the information,” Warlock said. “Especially the NET and the quadrants. Those are strong sorting tools.” The results from the NET culminate in a ranking system that grades teams’ games, taking into account factors such as where the game was played and the result. For example, Quadrant 1 wins include home games against teams ranked 1-30 in NET, neutral-site games against teams ranked 1-50 and road games against teams ranked 1-75. Since rankings change daily, quadrant wins can change as well. “What’s a Quad 1 win on Tuesday
DOMINIC FERRARO | FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Bruce Thornton’s shot to become the all-time scoring leader for Ohio State men’s basketball.
may be a Quad 2 win on Wednesday or Thursday,” Warlock said. “It evolves day to day.” Currently, Ohio State ranks No. 30 out of 365 teams in NET, going 3-10 in Quadrant 1 games, 5-1 in Quadrant 2 and 6-0 in Quadrant 3. While 88% of at-large bids to the tournament since 2019 have more than three Quadrant 1 wins, the Buckeyes will likely become the ninth team to make the tournament with only three. “They’d been sweating on the bubble for months,” ESPN’s Neil Paine said. “But they’re now at a 91% chance to make the field.” But with all the metrics that go into Selection Sunday, numbers alone do not determine the final bracket.
Committee members also rely on observation when evaluating teams throughout the season, watching games both in person and through film. “It would be foolish not to acknowledge that the committee is observing these teams throughout the year,” Warlock said. While fans often refer to this as the “eye test,” Warlock said the committee’s evaluation process is built on a combination of analytics and context.
BASKETBALL continues on page 4.