COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It seemed only a matter of time before reality set in and Ohio State fell back to earth after an otherworldly 13-1 start in Big Ten play under first-year coach Chris Holtmann.
The Buckeyes crashed last week, losing back-to-back road games to Penn State and Michigan.
As a result, Ohio State (22-7, 13-3 Big Ten) dropped from No. 8 to No. 16 in the latest Associated Press poll and out of first place in the Big Ten standings.
Ohio State returns to action just two days after a 74-62 loss at No. 17 Michigan on Sunday, playing host to Rutgers (13-16, 3-13) on Tuesday night in its final home game of the regular season.