Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes not in first AP Top 25 rankings

The Ohio State basketball team will open the 2022-23 college basketball season unranked as they were left off the first release of the AP Top 25 rankings. This is the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Buckeyes will not be ranked nationally to start the season.

The Buckeyes finished 20-12 overall last season and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Even with a record like that last season and a win in the NCAA Tournament, there is a rightful reason why this Ohio State team was left off the polls for the first time in four seasons.

There are still a lot of question marks and uncertainties around this Buckeyes basketball team. They are only returning two players who played more than two games a year ago. Holtmann and Diebler did bring in a highly ranked five-man recruiting class along with three experienced transfers to this rebuilt roster.

There are only three teams from the Big Ten that made it in the first AP Top 25 poll. Indiana is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at 13th in the country. The Hoosiers are accompanied by Michigan at 22 and Illinois at 23.

These rankings don’t mean Ohio State won’t ever sneak into the top 25 this season, it’s just the first release. The Buckeyes did receive 23 votes to be in the poll, making them 35th nationally.

The Buckeyes 2022-23 season tips off exactly three weeks from today against Robert Morris at Value City Arena. The questions we are waiting to have answers to will be answered very soon. With their depth and experience, the Buckeyes could see their name in the AP Top 25 after a few weeks into the season.

The Ohio State basketball team began last season ranked 17th in the AP polls. With this rebuilt roster the Buckeyes are going to have to earn a spot in the top 25.