Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Michigan State, Wisconsin takes big jumps
By Joey Loose
3. Ohio State (8-2, 2-0)
Chris Holtmann’s team came into the season with expectations and this whirlwind of an opening month has seen the Buckeyes deliver to a certain extent. EJ Liddell is scoring in bunches and looks like a national player of the year contender, while Zed Key and Kyle Young are averaging double-digits points after ten games. The offense looks like the real deal for a Buckeyes team that could easily have a better record than 8-2.
After struggling with Akron on opening night, Ohio State has been much better, with those two losses behind a tough road game at Xavier and a buzzer-beating defeat to Florida, when the Gators were playing much better ball. The Buckeyes are starting to stockpile wins, getting a nice win over Seton Hall, an impressive home win over previous #1 Duke, and most recently an 18-point win over Wisconsin, giving them two Big Ten wins to start conference play.
That game against the Badgers also featured Ohio State’s best defensive effort of the season. If they can pair defensive efforts like that with their top 10 offense, then Ohio State can win the Big Ten. As Duke found out a few weeks ago, Ohio State is a fantastic team at home, and have already picked up a couple of decent wins outside of Columbus. With Liddell in a starring role, the Buckeyes have used their current 4-game winning streak to propel not only up the national rankings but look like a top contender in this league.