Ohio State will begin the 2021-22 season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
The preseason college basketball poll released Monday marks the third-straight season in which Chris Holtmann’s program will have a ranking to start the year. The 2020-21 Buckeyes began the season ranked No. 23 before finishing as the No. 7 team in the country, while the 2019-20 roster started at No. 18 and ended at No. 19.
The Buckeyes are ranked behind three other teams in the Big Ten, with Michigan coming in at No. 6, Purdue at No. 7 and Illinois at No. 11.
Beginning the year as a ranked team means Ohio State will have been in the AP Top 25 at some point in each of Holtmann’s five seasons at the helm in Columbus. The Buckeyes have peaked in the top 10 in three of the past four years, with Ohio State climbing as high as No. 8 in 2017-18, No. 2 in 2019-20 and No. 4 a season ago.
Holtmann’s Buckeyes have also been ranked in the final AP Poll in three of the past four seasons, including a No. 17 ranking to end his first season, a No. 19 slot two years later and the aforementioned No. 7 spot to end 2020-21.
Ohio State also secured its highest NCAA tournament seed under Holtmann last season, as the Buckeyes began March Madness as a No. 2 before losing to Oral Roberts in the first round.
Aside from the 2019-20 season, in which postseason play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holtmann has reached the NCAA tournament in each season at Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes have not been past the second round of the tournament since 2014-15, when the team was led by head coach Thad Matta.
Ohio State starts the 2021-22 season with an exhibition against Indianapolis at home on Nov. 1, before its official season opener against Akron on Nov. 9.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GONZAGA | 0–0 | 1,562 (55) | 1 | West Coast |
| 2 | UCLA | 0–0 | 1,459 (8) | – | Pacific 12 |
| 3 | KANSAS | 0–0 | 1,427 | 12 | Big 12 |
| 4 | VILLANOVA | 0–0 | 1,332 | 18 | Big East |
| 5 | TEXAS | 0–0 | 1,315 | 9 | Big 12 |
| 6 | MICHIGAN | 0–0 | 1,255 | 4 | Big Ten |
| 7 | PURDUE | 0–0 | 1,213 | 20 | Big Ten |
| 8 | BAYLOR | 0–0 | 992 | 3 | Big 12 |
| 9 | DUKE | 0–0 | 963 | – | Atlantic Coast |
| 10 | KENTUCKY | 0–0 | 894 | – | Southeastern |
| 11 | ILLINOIS | 0–0 | 861 | 2 | Big Ten |
| 12 | MEMPHIS | 0–0 | 831 | – | American Athletic |
| 13 | OREGON | 0–0 | 775 | – | Pacific 12 |
| 14 | ALABAMA | 0–0 | 713 | 5 | Southeastern |
| 15 | HOUSTON | 0–0 | 694 | 6 | American Athletic |
| 16 | ARKANSAS | 0–0 | 673 | 10 | Southeastern |
| 17 | OHIO STATE | 0–0 | 581 | 7 | Big Ten |
| 18 | TENNESSEE | 0–0 | 563 | – | Southeastern |
| 19 | NORTH CAROLINA | 0–0 | 547 | – | Atlantic Coast |
| 20 | FLORIDA STATE | 0–0 | 381 | 14 | Atlantic Coast |
| 21 | MARYLAND | 0–0 | 294 | – | Big Ten |
| 22 | AUBURN | 0–0 | 267 | – | Southeastern |
| 23 | ST. BONAVENTURE | 0–0 | 238 | – | Atlantic 10 |
| 24 | CONNECTICUT | 0–0 | 161 | – | Big East |
| 25 | VIRGINIA | 0–0 | 125 | 15 | Atlantic Coast |
