Big Ten Basketball: Indiana tumbles, Rutgers storms up in latest power rankings

One of the consistent concerns of this Buckeyes team has been backcourt production, including freshmen guards, Malachi Branham and Meechie Johnson Jr. But when they’re on, this team has Final Four aspirations. That was the case in the recent overtime victory over Indiana, with Branham going for a game-high 27 points and leading the way on offense.

E.J. Liddell, who leads Ohio State on the season with 19.7 ppg and 7.6 rpg, had 16 points in 43 minutes played. Both Branham and Liddell are the only double-digit scorers on the roster and  Justice Sueing still has not returned from an early-season injury. Before the Indiana win, the Buckeyes had gone 3-3, including losses to Rutgers and Iowa, while beating Minnesota and Michigan.

Although Ohio State is ranked in the top-25, they’ve feasted on the bottom half of Big Ten Basketball for the past couple of months. The unbalanced schedule also has benefitted them, as they’ve yet to face either Illinois or Michigan State on the schedule. This is a team still with some questions but unlike some other teams in the Big Ten, won’t have to worry about its spot in the NCAA Tournament.