The Ohio State men’s basketball team took over the No. 1 ranking in the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches’ and Associated Press Top 25 polls, released this afternoon.
Now the Buckeyes (18-0, 5-0 Big Ten) just hope their reign lasts longer than the OSU football team’s did.
Off to their best start since beginning the 1961-62 campaign 22-0, the Buckeyes play seven of their next 10 games against ranked opponents.
OSU earned 28 of 31 first-place votes in the coaches poll and 49 of 65 top votes in the AP.
The OSU football team held the nation’s No. 1 ranking for one week in mid-October before losing at Wisconsin, 31-18, and falling in the polls.
Also today, point guard Aaron Craft earned the nod as Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week. Craft scored a career-high 19 points in the Buckeyes’ 69-66 win over Penn State on Saturday. OSU has swept the award through the first 10 weeks of the season, with forward Jared Sullinger winning eight times and forward Deshaun Thomas once.
Sullinger is a National Player of the Year candidate, averaging 17.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both team highs.
