After extending its winning streak to 11 with two road victories this week, and with an upset for the former second-place Iowa Hawkeyes playing in its favor, Ohio State is officially ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, behind undefeated South Carolina (23-0).
The Buckeyes (21-3) moved up from No. 5 last week. They were ranked as low as No. 20 earlier this season, following their third loss to Michigan on Dec. 30 , but since then, Ohio State has gone undefeated in the 2024 calendar year, picking up victories over two Big Ten opponents who were in the top-10, Iowa and Indiana .
Ohio State now sits atop of the Big Ten and can control its own destiny.
If the Buckeyes win four of their final five regular-season games, they will, at minimum, become co-conference champions with Iowa (22-3). In this final stretch, OSU is scheduled to face Michigan once again and then will close out the season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against the Hawkeyes.
Wednesday, the Buckeyes host Nebraska , which just happens to be the opponent that upended Iowa last week, 82-79. The Huskers held Hawkeyes' star guard Caitlin Clark scoreless in the fourth quarter.
This is the Buckeyes' highest ranking since January 2023, when they reached the No. 2 spot after starting the season 19-0 before dropping three games in a row.
Here is the AP Poll's top 5:
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women ranked No. 2 in AP Top 25

