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WATCH: Ohio State freshman sensation Malaki Branham throws down tomahawk dunk

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•01/06/22•

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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

What a way to start a game for Ohio State.

In the second minute of the Buckeyes’ game against Indiana Thursday night, freshman Malaki Branham threw down a ferocious tomahawk dunk. It gave the Buckeyes an early 4-1 lead over the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

In his first season with the Buckeyes, Branham is averaging 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 23.7 minutes per game. He’s coming off his biggest game of the year when he scored 35 points and grabbed six rebounds in Ohio State’s overtime win over Nebraska on Jan. 2.

He arrived at Ohio State this year as a four-star recruit and the top recruit in the state of Ohio, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The Buckeyes are 9-2 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play this season, only losing to Xavier and then-No. 23 Florida. Ohio State and Indiana are currently facing off on FS1.

Ohio State comes in at No. 8 in latest coaches poll

The calendar has officially flipped from 2021 to 2022. As Week 8 of college basketball season has wrapped up, the latest USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 has been revealed. There is some serious movement throughout the top 25.

USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 after Week 8

  1. Baylor (13-0)
  2. Duke (11-1)
  3. Purdue (12-1)
  4. Gonzaga (11-2)
  5. UCLA (8-1)
  6. Kansas (11-1)
  7. Arizona (11-1)
  8. USC (12-0)
  9. Auburn (12-1)
  10. Michigan State (12-2)
  11. Iowa State (12-1)
  12. Ohio State (9-2)
  13. Kentucky (11-2)
  14. Houston (12-2)
  15. Villanova (9-4)
  16. Texas (11-2)
  17. Providence (13-1)
  18. Tennessee (9-3)
  19. Colorado State (10-0)
  20. Alabama (10-3)
  21. LSU (12-1)
  22. Seton Hall (9-3)
  23. Wisconsin (10-2)
  24. Xavier (11-2)
  25. Texas Tech (10-2)

This week was an important one for Baylor. The Bears entered the week ranked in the top spot, but a matchup with Iowa State, another top ten team, awaited. Baylor came away with a tight 77-72 victory over Iowa State, pickup up an impressive early season victory. With each of the previous three top ranked teams (Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue) suffering upset losses after taking over the top spot, Baylor has remained steady. The loss for Iowa State was the first of the season for the Cyclones, who were ranked No. 8 entering the week.