Ohio State may have gotten bounced from the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament in a historic upset, but that hasn’t scared many experts, analysts and pundits away from holding the Buckeyes in high regard come the start of next season.

In fact, the Bovada sportsbook gives the Scarlet and Gray the fourth-best odds of any team in the country to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament at +1600.

The only teams with better odds, per Bovada, are this year’s tournament runner-up Gonzaga Bulldogs at +700, followed by Florida State and the Buckeyes’ archrival Michigan Wolverines, which are both slated at +1400.

The Zags fell short of an undefeated season on Monday with an 86-70 loss to Baylor in the national championship game, but nonetheless, Gonzaga has been given much better odds to find its way back into the title game next year. Bovada slates Baylor’s odds at repeating as national champions at +2000, which is sixth-best in the country.

The Seminoles got to this year’s Sweet 16 before falling victim to an 18-point loss at the hands of the Wolverines, who advanced to the Elite Eight where they dropped to UCLA in a 51-49 affair.

Michigan’s two games against Ohio State were decided by a total of six points this season, as the regular season matchup in Columbus resulted in a 92-87 win for the Wolverines, but the Buckeyes got their revenge in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, where they escaped with a 68-67 win that came down to the final shot.

The Wolverines’ odds are no doubt buoyed by the fact that Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Dickinson and 6-foot-9 guard Franz Wagner will both likely return for Michigan next season, and the Buckeyes’ odds have received the benefit of several potential high-profile returns as well.

Third-team All-Big Ten guard and Ohio State leading scorer Duane Washington will likely be back for the Buckeyes, along with third-leading scorer and starting forward Justice Sueing and a number of other key pieces on the bench.

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First-team All-Big Ten performer E.J. Liddell entered his name into NBA Draft consideration, but most believe he will ultimately return for another season in Columbus, and although senior forward Kyle Young has previously said he will leave all options open, there is hope that the Buckeyes’ starting big man will come back as well.

Ohio State began this past season ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll, and climbed as high as No. 4 in the nation in late February. The Buckeyes made their first conference championship game appearance in eight seasons, and claimed a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.

After the Wolverines and Buckeyes, 2021 No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed Illinois was given the next-best odds in the Big Ten at +2500, with Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin all slated at +3000.

Check out the full list of odds on the Bovada site right here, and join the conversation over at the Horseshoe Lounge.