The college basketball scene is beginning to boil into March Madness as the final hours of the February steadily pass -- and the latest AP Poll suggests the Ohio St. Buckeyes (23-6, 11-5) may be ready for February to end now.
Ohio State spent most of late January and early February fixed at No. 3 in the standings, but have since lost three times, slipping to No. 10 in Monday's rankings after losing 60-63 to the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers (21-8, 10-6) Sunday night.
One of the other teams to take the Buckeyes down this month, the Michigan St. Spartans (24-5, 13-3) have eased up the rankings during Ohio State's crumbling. Michigan State -- who began the Preseason at No. 27 -- has not only won 7 straight games and reached the top of the Big Ten Conference standings, they have climbed yet another spot in the AP Poll to reach No. 5 overall.
Here is a look at the AP Poll Top 10 rankings for this week:
| Rank | Team (1st-place votes) | Record | Previous |
| 1 | Kentucky (63) | 28-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Syracuse (2) | 29-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Kansas | 24-5 | 4 |
| 4 | Duke | 25-4 | 5 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 24-5 | 6 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 25-4 | 7 |
| 7 | Missouri | 25-4 | 3 |
| 8 | Marquette | 24-5 | 10 |
| 9 | Baylor | 24-5 | 13 |
| 10 | Ohio State | 23-6 | 8 |
For more from around the world of college hoops, check out SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.