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No. 16 Ohio State’s (14-5, 7-3) 82-67 victory over Maryland (11-12, 3-9) Sunday wasn’t their best win of the season, and by all accounts it was a game that everyone expected them to win big. They did that, flipping the turtles on their shells and likely burying Maryland’s NCAA Tournament chances for good. It sets up a big week on the road for Ohio State, where they’ll face Rutgers (13-9, 7-5) and Michigan (11-9, 5-5) in unfriendly environments.
The AP voters didn’t seem to think too much of the Buckeyes’ win this week, leaving them at No. 16 for the third-straight week.
While neither Rutgers or Michigan will be overbearing opponents, playing on the road in the Big Ten is the great equalizer. The Buckeyes will likely be slim favorites — or potentially slim underdogs — in both games this week, and winning both will likely catapult them a few spots in next week’s poll.
The Auburn Tigers held firm at No. 1 this week, followed by Gonzaga, Purdue, Arizona, and Kentucky. The top-ranked Tigers and third-ranked Boilermakers survived upset scares from Georgia and Michigan this week to retain their spots in the top-five.
Four other Big Ten teams were ranked this week. They are: No. 3 Purdue, No. 13 Illinois, No. 14 Wisconsin, and No. 17 Michigan State. Indiana and Iowa also received votes but were left outside the top-25.
No. 16 Ohio State’s next game is Wednesday night at 7:00 at Rutgers. It will be broadcast on BTN.
You can check out the full poll here or below:
Week 14 AP Poll
Rank | Team | Points |
---|---|---|
Rank | Team | Points |
1 | Auburn | 1506 |
2 | Gonzaga | 1477 |
3 | Purdue | 1329 |
4 | Arizona | 1300 |
5 | Kentucky | 1288 |
6 | Houston | 1205 |
7 | Duke | 1179 |
8 | Kansas | 1173 |
9 | Texas Tech | 947 |
10 | Baylor | 921 |
11 | Providence | 899 |
12 | UCLA | 881 |
13 | Illinois | 818 |
14 | Wisconsin | 706 |
15 | Villanova | 634 |
16 | Ohio State | 628 |
17 | Michigan State | 536 |
18 | Marquette | 522 |
19 | Tennessee | 377 |
20 | Texas | 294 |
21 | USC | 278 |
22 | Saint Mary's | 185 |
23 | Murray State | 178 |
24 | UCONN | 118 |
25 | Xavier | 91 |