Ohio State Drops in AP Rankings for First Time in Eight Weeks
The Ohio Buckeyes dropped their first game of the calendar year Sunday.
After a tough 10-point loss to then-No. 6 Iowa, Ohio State dropped to No. 4 in the Associated Press Week 18 rankings Monday after three weeks at No. 2.
Head coach Kevin McGuff and his squad have stayed hot all of 2024, culminating in an outright Big Ten regular season title Wednesday with their win over Michigan.
Ohio State won 15 games in a row before dropping their last of the regular season to the Hawkeyes, where senior guard Caitlin Clark set an NCAA all-time scoring record, breaking a record held for 54 years by NBA Hall-of-Famer and former LSU guard Pete Maravich.
However, during that hot streak, the Buckeyes took down then-No. 2 Iowa in overtime and then-No. 10 Indiana in a five-point victory.
The Buckeyes, Hawkeyes and Hoosiers were the only Big Ten teams in the rankings this week.
After starting the season in the top 10, Ohio State never dropped from the top 25, although they fell to as low as 18th at one point. However, thanks to their dominant third quarters and full-court press, the Buckeyes suffocated teams the whole regular season.
Although they now rank one spot lower than Iowa, the Buckeyes are still the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament, beginning Wednesday. Their first game will be in the conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday against the winner of Illinois or Maryland, tipping off at 12:30 p.m. EST from the Target Center and streaming on Big Ten Network.
