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Ohio State basketball could get a high tournament seed

By Zack Hochberg

Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) takes a three-point shot while guarded by Michigan State Spartans forward Julius Marble II (34) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on January 31, 2021. Ohio State won the game 79-62.Ceb Osu Mbk Msu Bjp 33
Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) takes a three-point shot while guarded by Michigan State Spartans forward Julius Marble II (34) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on January 31, 2021. Ohio State won the game 79-62.Ceb Osu Mbk Msu Bjp 33 /
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Following an impressive month of January, the Ohio State Buckeyes are kicking off February by jumping up six spots all the way to the seventh spot in the latest AP Poll.

After losing their first game of the month against Minnesota, the Buckeyes showed they had diamond hands, and finished January with a 6-1 record, including wins over Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Following their loss to Minnesota, the Buckeyes fell out of the Top 25 rankings altogether before skyrocketing, like GameStop, all the way up to the seventh spot this week. This is the first time the Buckeyes have appeared in the AP top-10 since December of 2019.

Ohio State has been on a roll this week, beating Penn State, in a previously rescheduled game due to COVID, 83-79. Following that, the Buckeyes destroyed Michigan State 79-62.

This week, the Buckeyes have a showdown with another top-10 team, 8th ranked Iowa. Iowa dropped one spot to eight this week after losing back-to-back games to Indiana and Illinois.

The Big Ten continues to be well represented across the board in the AP Poll. Michigan is the only school ranked higher than Ohio State at four, Iowa is right behind the Buckeyes at eight followed by Illinois at 12, Wisconsin at 19, and Purdue at 24.

Minnesota and Rutgers received votes from poll members as well. Gonzaga still has a stronghold on the number one spot in the nation, receiving 61 of 64 first-place votes, Baylor received the other three.

Next. Ohio State's jump shows they are a true contender. dark

In the coaches poll, the Buckeyes jumped six spots to ninth.  ESPN’s Bracketology by Joe Lunardi currently has the Buckeyes as a No. 3 seed in March Madness, with a matchup with Bryant in the first round, the winner of that game is projected to face off against the winner of the No. 6 seed USC and No. 11 seed Arkansas game. Lunardi also included Ohio State among 30 teams with odds of 80% or better to make the NCAA Tournament.

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