The Buckeyes improved three spots in the AP Top 25 Monday, jumping from No. 19 to No. 16.
Ohio State played just one game last week, defeating IUPUI 83-37 in a non-conference makeup game in Columbus on Tuesday. The Buckeyes were scheduled to take on Nebraska at home on Saturday, but COVID-19 issues in the Husker program led to the contest being postponed.
Sixteen games into the 2021-22 season, Ohio State stands at 12-4 with a 5-2 record in conference play – good for fourth-best in the Big Ten behind only Illinois (6-2), Wisconsin (6-2) and Michigan State (6-1) entering this week.
The Buckeyes peaked at No. 13 in the AP poll on Dec. 27 and maintained that position on Jan. 3, but dropped to No. 16 and then No. 19 over the subsequent two weeks. However, Ohio State is now back up to No. 16, ranking behind only Purdue (6), Michigan State (10) and Wisconsin (11) as far as Big Ten teams are concerned.
Ohio State has a pair of road games on the docket this week, as it travels to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers at 8 p.m. Thursday before heading to West Lafayette for a matchup with Purdue at noon on Sunday.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AUBURN | 18–1 | 1,504 (45) | 2 | Southeastern |
| 2 | GONZAGA | 15–2 | 1,475 (15) | 1 | West Coast |
| 3 | ARIZONA | 16–1 | 1,381 (1) | 3 | Pacific 12 |
| 4 | BAYLOR | 17–2 | 1,335 | 5 | Big 12 |
| 5 | KANSAS | 16–2 | 1,281 | 7 | Big 12 |
| 6 | PURDUE | 16–3 | 1,119 | 4 | Big Ten |
| 7 | UCLA | 13–2 | 1,116 | 9 | Pacific 12 |
| 7 | HOUSTON | 17–2 | 1,116 | 10 | American Athletic |
| 9 | DUKE | 15–3 | 1,017 | 6 | Atlantic Coast |
| 10 | MICHIGAN STATE | 15–3 | 979 | 14 | Big Ten |
| 11 | WISCONSIN | 15–3 | 894 | 8 | Big Ten |
| 12 | KENTUCKY | 15–4 | 822 | 12 | Southeastern |
| 13 | TEXAS TECH | 15–4 | 766 | 18 | Big 12 |
| 14 | VILLANOVA | 14–5 | 713 | 11 | Big East |
| 15 | USC | 16–2 | 711 | 16 | Pacific 12 |
| 16 | OHIO STATE | 12–4 | 584 | 19 | Big Ten |
| 17 | PROVIDENCE | 16–2 | 542 | 21 | Big East |
| 18 | TENNESSEE | 13–5 | 419 | 24 | Southeastern |
| 19 | LSU | 15–4 | 399 | 13 | Southeastern |
| 20 | CONNECTICUT | 13–4 | 284 | 25 | Big East |
| 21 | XAVIER | 14–4 | 269 | 20 | Big East |
| 22 | MARQUETTE | 14–6 | 177 | – | Big East |
| 23 | IOWA STATE | 14–5 | 167 | 15 | Big 12 |
| 24 | ILLINOIS | 13–5 | 155 | 17 | Big Ten |
| 25 | 16–2 | 132 | – | Atlantic 10 |
