COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team suffered its second defeat of the season on Wednesday, but that didn’t cost them its spot in the rankings.
Ohio State (6-2) has kept its No. 25 ranking in this week’s Associated Press poll after losing to Duke 81-72 in Durham on Wednesday and getting a 96-59 win over St. Francis on Saturday in Columbus.
Coach Chris Holtmann and company got its initial spot in this season’s rankings last week after a fifth-place finish in the Maui Invitational. After the loss to the Blue Devils, the Buckeyes concluded with a 10-12 record in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which will be discontinued after this season.
The Scarlet & Grey will begin conference play on Thursday night when they host Rutgers at Value City Arena at 7 p.m. They will conclude the week in Chapel Hill facing former No. 1 North Carolina on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Tar Heels are 5-4 and now out of the top 25.
AP Poll (Dec. 5, 2022)
| 1 | Houston (37) |
| 2 | Texas (14) |
| 3 | Virginia (3) |
| 4 | Purdue (8) |
| 5 | UCONN |
| 6 | Kansas |
| 7 | Tennessee |
| 8 | Alabama |
| 9 | Arkansas |
| 10 | Arizona |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Baylor |
| 13 | Maryland |
| 14 | Indiana |
| 15 | Duke |
| 16 | Kentucky |
| 17 | Illinois |
| 18 | Gonzaga |
| 19 | UCLA |
| 20 | Iowa State |
| 21 | Creighton |
| 22 | San Diego State |
| 23 | Mississippi State |
| 23 | TCU |
| 25 | Ohio State |
