Ohio State Falls to No. 9 in Final AP Poll Before Postseason Play

Buckeyes stay inside the top-10 despite four consecutive losses to close the year.

Ohio State ended the season with four consecutive losses. But considering their resume and the quality of opponent that beat them the last two weeks, AP voters across the country still think the Buckeyes are a top-10 program.

After falling from No. 4 to No. 7 last week following losses to Michigan State and Iowa, Ohio State enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 9-ranked team in America following Monday's release of the new AP Poll.

The Buckeyes open tournament play on Thursday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium as the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. Three of the four teams ranked ahead of them are ranked in the top-5 nationally. After Michigan lost twice this past week, Illinois has jumped to No. 3 in the country and the Wolverines fell to No. 4. Gonzaga and Baylor occupy the top two spots. Iowa comes in at No. 5.

No. 20 Purdue continues an upward trend as well. They have a double-bye into the Big Ten quarterfinals and a potential third meeting with the Buckeyes on Friday. Purdue beat Ohio State in both regular season meetings.

Wisconsin is unranked, but is among the teams receiving votes.

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