While the attention of most Ohio State basketball fans was likely centered on its matinee matchup with Indiana, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed a preview of its top 16 teams on Saturday afternoon, slotting the Buckeyes as the fourth and final No. 1 seed.

Ohio State entered the early selection show on a roll, winning five consecutive games in Big Ten play and earning its highest AP ranking (No. 4) since December 2019.

The Buckeyes (16-4) currently reside in third place in the Big Ten and own eight Quad 1 wins (the most in Division I) and six victories over ranked teams.

Joining Chris Holtmann and company on the top line are AP No. 1 Gonzaga (19-0), No. 2 Baylor (17-0), and No. 3 Michigan (13-1).

Gonzaga and Baylor, the committee's top two seeds, have held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the country since the initial AP Poll was released, respectively. The pair also makes up the remainder of the nation's undefeated teams.

Michigan has been on a department-wide pause since Jan. 23, but still sits at the top of the Big Ten and is set to resume play on Sunday against Wisconsin.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Illinois (14-5) is slotted at a No. 2 seed. The Illini have won five straight and sit behind only Michigan in the conference standings.

Iowa (14-6) and Wooden Award favorite Luka Garza round out the league's representation in the top 16, checking in at the first No. 4 seed. The Hawkeyes have slowed down in recent weeks, dropping four of their last six games.

Because the entire 2021 NCAA Tournament is being held in the Indianapolis area, the committee is seeding teams on a true S-curve instead of accounting for team location and bracket region as it has in years past.

As a result, the Buckeyes would end up in a region with the top No. 2 seed and would likely play the committee's highest-rated 16-seed in the first round.

Following its Saturday contest with Indiana, Ohio State has just five games left in the regular season. The Buckeyes travel to Penn State for a Thursday night matchup and host fellow No. 1 seed Michigan next Sunday afternoon.

Selection Sunday is officially set for March 14 at 6 p.m. on CBS. The NCAA Tournament will begin four days later.