Ohio State Buckeyes coach Thad Matta yells to his players during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Bob Devany Sports Center January 21, 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
Ohio State moved up three spots to No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN top 25 men’s college basketball poll, which is voted on by 31 head coaches from across America that was released earlier today.
The Buckeyes big jump in the rankings was due to the fact that three teams – Syracuse, Baylor and Duke – all lost this past weekend. Ohio State garnered 687 points, just a slim one point more than Syracuse and seven points better than Kansas.
Kentucky, which received all 31 first-place votes, is the new No. 1 followed by Missouri and Ohio State. Rounding out the top 10 in the coaches’ poll is Syracuse, Kansas, Duke, Baylor, North Carolina, Murray State and Georgetown.
Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 of the coaches’ poll include: Michigan State (11), Indiana (17), Michigan (22) and Wisconsin (25). Illinois, which was ranked No. 25, dropped out after losing Penn State and Wisconsin last week.
In the Associated Press top 25 men’s college basketball poll as voted on by a panel of 65 media members from around the country, Ohio State moved up to No. 4. Kentucky is also the new No. 1 in the AP poll with 61 of the 65 first-place voted followed by Missouri and Syracuse. Rounding out the top 10 is Baylor, North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Michigan State.
Other Big Ten teams in the AP top 25 include: Indiana (16), Michigan (20) and Wisconsin (25). Illinois, which was ranked No. 22, also dropped out of the AP poll.
This week, the Buckeyes played two games at home, hosting Penn State on Wednesday and Michigan on Sunday.
