Ohio State Moves to No. 4 in Latest AP Poll

This is the Buckeyes highest ranking this late in the season in the national poll since 2012.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the hottest teams in college basketball and the national poll is reflecting their incredible performances of late.

After beating then-No. 8 Iowa on Thursday night in Iowa City, the Ohio State Buckeyes earned their fifth win over a ranked opponent (all in the top-15), their fourth such win on the road (a school-record) and their eighth win against a quadrant 1 team. The Scarlet and Gray are 7-1 over their last eight games, beating many of the teams that fit into the previously mentioned criteria. So on Monday afternoon with the release of the new AP Poll, the Buckeyes got some good news.

Ohio State is ranked No. 4 in this week's poll, trailing only No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Baylor and No. 3 Michigan (whose program continues to be on hiatus because of CoVID-19). The Buckeyes haven't been ranked in the national top five this late in the season since 2012, when they last went to the Final Four.

What is particularly remarkable about Ohio State's ascension is that they were unranked in the first week of January after losing to Minnesota by 17 points. Since then, they've beaten some of the best teams in the country and are playing with great confidence. 

The Buckeyes (15-4, 9-4 Big Ten) will put that No. 4 ranking to the test tonight in College Park against the Maryland Terrapins. They will also host Indiana on Saturday, and the Hooisers are playing well of late. They just beat Iowa on Sunday night. Here is a preview for tonight's game.

There were a handful of other Big Ten teams ranked this week. No. 6 Illinois jumped six spots from last week's poll, No. 15 Iowa fell seven spots this week, No. 21 Wisconsin fell two spots, No. 24 Purdue and No. 25 Rutgers held on to their rankings.

Meanwhile, the poll was also historic for another reason. For the first time since 1961, this week's AP Poll did not include at least one of the four biggest basketball powerhouse programs in the country: Kansas, Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky.

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