NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Duke, Michigan vie for the top spot

RENO, NV - DECEMBER 15: Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack and brother Caleb Martin #10 of the Nevada Wolf Pack talk to head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Lawlor Events Center on December 15, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

10 of 26

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 22: Jackson #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

17. Ohio State Buckeyes

Record: 11-1 (2-0 Big Ten)

Last Week: No. 16

Ohio State competed in two contests this week and easily handled their business against both Youngstown State and UCLA. This pushed their overall record on the season to 11-1 as the team just continues to impress with every single contest. The Buckeyes have easily been one of the more surprising teams in the nation so far as they have emerged as a legitimate contender in the Big Ten. And considering that the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in the nation this season, I do not say that lightly.

Head coach Chris Holtmann is finally started to garner the national attention that he deserves as one of the best in the business thanks to this hot start. Coach Holtmann has exceeded expectations in just about every season as the leader of a Division-I program and eventually people will stop undervaluing coaching at all levels of basketball. High-quality coaching can be the difference between competing for a conference title and missing the NCAA Tournament altogether.

Additionally, forward Kyle Young has taken a really nice step in terms of his career development this year. After rarely seeing the floor a year ago, Young has emerged as an incredibly important piece of this team. He is averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds on 69.8% shooting in 22.5 minutes per game.

Home/NCAA Basketball News