Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Illinois soars up, Indiana keeps sliding

12. Ohio State Buckeyes – 10-8 (2-5)

There’s a consensus view that Nebraska and Minnesota are the clear bottom tier in Big Ten Basketball But after what happened on Wednesday night, we’ll have to add a third team. Over a week ago, the Buckeyes suffered a shocking 70-67 home loss to the Gophers, despite 18 points and 10 rebounds from Brice Sensabaugh and Zed Key, who came off the bench after injuring his shoulder in the prior game against Purdue, going for 10 points and eight rebounds.

Ohio State then lost a more understandable game to Rutgers, 68-64 in overtime. They went through a lineup change, with both Sensabaugh (20 points and 11 rebounds) and Key (11 points and 9 rebounds) coming off the bench. But only Sean McNeil was in double figures among the starters, scoring 11 points.

The Buckeyes had a chance to end it’s four-game losing skid with a road game at Nebraska, a great chance to “get back right”. And yet, that proved to be too much for them as well, losing 63-60. Once again, forwards Key and Sensabaugh each had a double-double, while McNeil had 13 points from the perimeter. But starters Justice Sueing and Bruce Thornton combined for six points on 2/12 shooting and the bench contributed little.

Ohio State now has a five-game losing streak and these two recent bad losses now have them on the bubble. And things don’t get any easier going forward, taking on the three “I”s in the Big Ten in Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois up next.