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Why is this news?: Buckeyes absent from AP Poll, Tom Ryan Big Ten Coach of the Year

All the big Ohio State news, in one helpful place.

By Dan Vest
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The final AP basketball poll of the season is out and the Ohio State Buckeyes are about where you would expect them to be. They’re on the outside looking in. After reentering the poll last week at number 23, the Buckeyes again find themselves among the "others receiving votes" after an uninspiring performance against the Wisconsin Badgers. It was an absolutely abysmal offensive outing in which Ohio State failed to crack fifty points.

There will be one more poll released this season and if the Buckeyes are going to improve on their existing 28th ranking, it’s going to take one heck of a postseason run. The Buckeyes have the second-best odds to win the Big Ten right now, so it’s a possibility. It’s just a question of which Ohio State team is going to show up.

AP Top 25

Rank School Record Points Prev
1 Kentucky Wildcats (65) 31-0 1,625 1
2 Duke Blue Devils 28-3 1,544 3
3 Virginia Cavaliers 28-2 1,454 2
4 Villanova Wildcats 29-2 1,444 4
5 Arizona Wildcats 28-3 1,360 5
6 Wisconsin Badgers 28-3 1,344 6
7 Gonzaga Bulldogs 30-2 1,229 7
8 Maryland Terrapins 26-5 1,103 10
9 Kansas Jayhawks 24-7 1,040 9
10 Northern Iowa Panthers 30-3 1,037 11
11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 26-5 1,026 12
12 Wichita State Shockers 28-4 797 8
13 Iowa State Cyclones 22-8 786 17
14 Louisville Cardinals 24-7 780 16
15 Oklahoma Sooners 21-9 772 15
16 Baylor Bears 23-8 701 14
17 Utah Utes 23-7 587 13
18 West Virginia Mountaineers 23-8 525 20
19 North Carolina Tar Heels 21-10 406 19
20 SMU Mustangs 24-6 339 22
21 Arkansas Razorbacks 24-7 300 18
22 Butler Bulldogs 22-9 287 21
23 Georgetown Hoyas 20-9 223 33
24 Davidson Wildcats 23-6 99 32
25 Boise State Broncos 24-7 82 27
Others receiving votes: Oregon 69, Providence 63, Ohio State 40, BYU 18, Michigan St 15, LSU 8, Iowa 7, St. John's 6, San Diego St 3, Stephen F. Austin 2, Valparaiso 1, Dayton 1, North Florida 1, Purdue 1

The 2014/2015 Ohio State wrestling season has been a rollercoaster ride for head coach Tom Ryan. A series of injuries and dual meet losses threatened to derail a promising Ohio State team, stopping it short of its ultimate goals. Fortunately, Ryan’s squad never crumbled and now has a Big Ten championship to show for its efforts. Coach Ryan also has something to show on an individual level, the Big Ten Wrestling Coach of the Year award. It’s a well-deserved honor for a coach that helped snap Ohio State’s 64-year conference championship drought. Of course, if you ask him he’ll tell you that the biggest award of all is still out there for the taking: the 2015 NCAA team championship.

Tom Ryan wasn’t the only Buckeye to take home individual Big Ten honors this weekend. Logan Stieber took home two for himself. A Big Ten tournament run that saw him dominate all three of his opponents, including a 16-1 victory in the final, earned Stieber the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award.

Also, in a shock to absolutely nobody, Stieber was named the Big Ten wrestler of the year. The three-time national champion is 24-0 on the season and has racked up bonus points at a dizzying pace. Now only one tournament stands between Stieber and his final goal, his fourth NCAA Championship.

Hey, you readers seem like the kind of folks who might be fans of Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Am I correct? If so, here’s your chance to help him win yet another award. Elliott has been named a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award, which is given to outstanding amateur athletes in the United States. The finalists are picked by fan vote and you can go here to cast yours.

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