Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into league play

By Ryan Kay

ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Marcus Bingham Jr. #30 of the Michigan State Spartans battle for position against Austin Davis #51 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half of the game at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Marcus Bingham Jr. #30 of the Michigan State Spartans battle for position against Austin Davis #51 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half of the game at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Eugene Brown Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

490. . 6-1. . Buckeyes . 8. team

Wins

*Illinois State
*UMass Lowell
*Morehead State
*Cleveland State
*@Notre Dame
*UCLA (Neutral site)

Losses

*@Purdue

KenPom ranking: 25

Reasons for Hope: The Buckeyes started off the season 5-0 and is one of the few road teams to win a true road game as they defeated the Fighting Irish. Their victory against UCLA on a neutral court is noticeable as well. Ohio State’s defense has been really solid with the exception of one game.

Reasons to be Pessimistic: Ohio State lost on the road at Purdue. Usually, a loss on the Boilermakers home court is not a big issue but Purdue had lost two games prior and they had no fans in the stand. Their offense has struggled in five out of the seven games that they have played thus far.

Brief Overview of the Season

Prior to Ohio State’s road loss at Purdue, the Buckeyes have arguably been one of the most intriguing and fun teams to watch in the Big Ten team this season. The Buckeyes depth and different players stepping up at various times have been fun to experience and watch.

Had this ranking been done last week when they were undefeated, the Buckeyes would have more than likely been ranked in the top-5 in this Big Ten ranking. However, Ohio State lost to Purdue and struggled but defeated UCLA on a neutral court.

Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann is continuing to turn his program back into a top-tier Big ten squad. However, it is not how you start necessarily but how you finish which is the most important. Ohio State has easily surprised many college basketball experts this season and the Buckeyes next play Rutgers Wednesday.

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