Big Ten Basketball: Week 7 power rankings for the conference

Ohio State drops one spot in this week’s power rankings after going 1-1 in last week’s games. Although they have started off 2-0 in Big Ten play, their loss last week is what moves them down a spot.

After handily defeating Citadel at home, 94-65, the Buckeyes traveled to New Orleans on Dec. 23 to face the North Carolina Tar Heels, where they were defeated 86-72. The Buckeyes were able to force 17 Tar Heel turnovers in the game but struggled to get much off of those turnovers. They shot 44% from the field but shot just 31.3% from three-point land.

Keita Bates-Diop, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Buckeyes, led all scorers with 26 points. Bates-Diop, who averages 18.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, continues to have a breakout season for the Buckeyes after missing most of last season due to injury.

Other guys like C.J. Jackson (13.3 ppg), Jae’Sean Tate (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Kaleb Wesson (12.2) continue to provide solid contributions for the Buckeyes behind Bates-Diop. But, they are really searching for some other role players to step up. This will need to happen for the Buckeyes to have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

Schedule for this week:

Miami University (7-5) at Ohio State on Dec. 30