Ohio State continues to trend in the wrong direction.
After falling from No. 4 to No. 7 in the Associated Press top-25 poll a week ago, the Buckeyes slipped to No. 9 on Monday in the first ranking since their regular season concluded.
They remain one of the nation's top-10 teams, but their grip on the title has slipped notably over the past several weeks due to a four-game losing streak that followed a stretch where they won 10 of 11 games. The latest loss – which dropped them to 18-8 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten – came on Saturday to Illinois, following defeats at the hands of Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa.
Ohio State will begin postseason play on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten tournament when it takes on Purdue, which came in at No. 20 in this week's poll.
The full top-25 from the Associated Press:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GONZAGA | 24–0 | 1,573 (61) | 1 | West Coast |
| 2 | BAYLOR | 21–1 | 1,510 (2) | 3 | Big 12 |
| 3 | ILLINOIS | 20–6 | 1,438 | 4 | Big Ten |
| 4 | MICHIGAN | 19–3 | 1,382 | 2 | Big Ten |
| 5 | IOWA | 20–7 | 1,314 | 5 | Big Ten |
| 6 | ALABAMA | 21–6 | 1,239 | 8 | Southeastern |
| 7 | HOUSTON | 21–3 | 1,173 | 9 | American Athletic |
| 8 | ARKANSAS | 21–5 | 1,046 | 12 | Southeastern |
| 9 | OHIO STATE | 18–8 | 1,032 | 7 | Big Ten |
| 10 | WEST VIRGINIA | 18–8 | 919 | 6 | Big 12 |
| 11 | KANSAS | 19–8 | 873 | 13 | Big 12 |
| 12 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 18–7 | 851 | 17 | Big 12 |
| 13 | TEXAS | 17–7 | 802 | 15 | Big 12 |
| 14 | VILLANOVA | 16–5 | 729 | 10 | Big East |
| 15 | FLORIDA STATE | 15–5 | 687 | 11 | Atlantic Coast |
| 16 | VIRGINIA | 17–6 | 531 | 21 | Atlantic Coast |
| 17 | CREIGHTON | 18–7 | 510 | 14 | Big East |
| 18 | LOYOLA CHICAGO | 24–4 | 488 | 20 | Missouri Valley |
| 19 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 20–4 | 462 | 19 | Mountain West |
| 20 | TEXAS TECH | 17–9 | 389 | 18 | Big 12 |
| 20 | PURDUE | 18–8 | 389 | 23 | Big Ten |
| 22 | VIRGINIA TECH | 15–5 | 266 | 22 | Atlantic Coast |
| 23 | COLORADO | 20–7 | 209 | 24 | Pacific 12 |
| 24 | USC | 21–6 | 175 | – | Pacific 12 |
| 25 | OKLAHOMA | 14–9 | 172 | 16 | Big 12 |
