The team was led by third-year head coach Thad Matta, and played their home games at the Value City Arena, in Columbus, Ohio as members of the Big Ten Conference.

As a result, the team earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, received the No.

They defeated Central Connecticut State and Matta's former team, Xavier, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

With a win over Georgetown, the team advanced to the national championship game against Florida, where they lost 84–75.

Of note, the Florida football team also defeated the Buckeyes to win the National Championship in the same year.