The Ohio State men’s basketball team fell seven spots, from No. 12 to No. 19, in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll on Monday.
The Buckeyes are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. And while they still have dominant wins over Villanova and a then-healthy North Carolina team, plus a strong win over Kentucky, this current skid has hurt in the eyes of the voters.
The Buckeyes are a very talented team still. And, as our own Phil Harrison pointed out this morning, there’s no reason to panic yet. Still, Ohio State fell seven spots in the Coaches Poll, and ten spots (from No. 11 to No. 21) in the AP Poll.
The Buckeyes will have a chance to right the ship on Tuesday, as they host Nebraska. After that, Ohio State travels to face Penn State on Saturday.
Gonzaga held on to the No. 1 spot in the poll, while Baylor jumped Duke for No. 2. The Big Ten has five teams in the poll, but the highest is Michigan State at No. 14.
The advanced metrics still respect Ohio State, though, as the Buckeyes sit at No. 7 in KenPom and No. 8 in ESPN’s BPI.