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Buckeyes re-enter AP Top 25 after pair of impressive wins

Zack Carpenterby:Zack Carpenter•12/06/21•

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Chris Holtmann reacts as Buckeyes fall short in second round versus Villanova NCAA tournament
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

COLUMBUS – Ohio State pulled off one of the biggest wins of the college basketball season last week.

The Buckeyes took down No. 1-ranked Duke with a thoroughly impressive comeback from down 14 points at halftime.

Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann’s group then avoided a letdown on Sunday as the Buckeyes followed that massive win with another impressive showing in a 12-point road win over Penn State.

For all of the efforts made by star forward E.J. Liddell and Co., the Buckeyes have made a re-entry into the AP top 25 poll.

Ohio State comes in ranked No. 21 in the country after the two wins. Purdue is at the top of the latest rankings followed Baylor, Duke, UCLA and Gonzaga to round out the top five.

The Buckeyes now stand with a 6-2 record this season with wins over Akron, Niagra and Bowling Green to start the year as they were ranked as high as No. 17. But an up-and-down season was followed by heartbreaking losses to Xavier and Florida that were sandwiched around a thrilling victory over Seton Hall.

Now, Liddell and the Buckeyes will be looking to tack onto their six-win start by getting past Towson on Wednesday and No. 22-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. Both are home games at Value City Arena.

Those two matchups precede a showdown with No. 10-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 18. That game is part of the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas.

It has been a solid eight-game run for Ohio State as it continues to piece together what could be another campaign in which it pushes for a top finish in the Big Ten.

The full AP poll can be found below.

  1. Purdue (61 first-place votes)
  2. Baylor
  3. Duke
  4. UCLA
  5. Gonzaga
  6. Villanova
  7. Texas
  8. Kansas
  9. Alabama
  10. Kentucky
  11. Arizona
  12. Arkansas
  13. Tennessee
  14. Houston
  15. UConn
  16. USC
  17. Iowa State
  18. Auburn
  19. Michigan State
  20. Florida
  21. Ohio State
  22. Wisconsin
  23. Seton Hall
  24. BYU
  25. LSU

Top three in others receiving votes category: Colorado State 90, Xavier 78, Illinois 71

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