NCAA Tournament bubble watch is in full effect at Ohio State and Nebraska. Both programs are precariously situated in the final week of the regular season, and that added some additional drama to Tuesday’s matchup in Columbus.

The tension was evident, especially as the game wore into not just one but two overtime periods. Nebraska even had to erase an 11-point deficit in the 2nd half to keep things alive, and they were able to eventually tie things up with a Brice Williams free throw with 8 seconds left. Unfortunately, Williams missed his 2nd free throw that would have given the Huskers a lead.

In the first OT period, it looked like Nebraska might run away with the victory. Williams scored the first 5 points of OT for the Huskers, but the Buckeyes eventually battled back.

After rolling to a 2nd OT, Bruce Thornton and Micah Parrish each hit some clutch shots before Ohio State made enough free throws down the stretch. It ended in a 116-114 win for the Buckeyes as we near the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.

RELATED: Any of the best Ohio betting apps are a great way to track OSU’s run throughout the postseason and get in on the action.

Brice Williams led all players with 43 points and nailed 5 3-pointers for Nebraska. Juwan Gary also chipped in 24 points.

Meanwhile, every starter for Ohio State reached double figures including 4 players to reach 20 points. Bruce Thornton led the way with 29 points and 9 assists while Micah Parrish went 5-for-11 from 3-point range with 22 points.

So, what is the impact of the NCAA Tournament? Entering the game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Ohio State as the top team in his “Last Four In” section in his latest bracketology update while Nebraska was the 2nd-to-last team into the final field. The win by the Buckeyes keeps them firmly in the Big Dance (for now), but it’s getting tight for the Huskers.

Now on a 4-game losing streak, Nebraska will face Iowa in the final game of the regular season. Another loss could put Nebraska into a “win or go home” mode throughout the B1G Tournament, or at least sweating bullets until the full bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday.

As for the B1G Tournament, Ohio State’s win moves the Buckeyes into a tie with Indiana for 9th place in the league standings. That is significant as the No. 9 seed will avoid playing on the first day of action in Indianapolis while the No. 10 seed will face the No. 15 seed in Game 2 of the bracket.

We’ll see how it all shakes out with the regular season officially concluding on Sunday.