While Ohio State maintained the top slot in RealGM's college basketball rankings for the week of January 24th, Pittsburgh moved up to the second slot with their win over the previously undefeated Syracuse.

1. Ohio State
2. Pitt
3. Duke
4. San Diego State
5. Connecticut
6. Texas
7. Kansas
8. Brigham Young
9. Missouri
10. Villanova
11. Texas A&M
12. Syracuse
13. Purdue
14. Washington
15. Wisconsin
16. Notre Dame
17. Kentucky
18. Minnesota
19. Louisville
20. Georgetown
21. Illinois
22. Vanderbilt
23. Florida
24. Utah State
25. Michigan State

• Click here to view college rankings from the AP, Coaches and RealGM.

No. 1 Ohio State rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half on Saturday afternoon to defeat Illinois 73-68.

Illinois, ranked No. 23, held a 50-42 lead with 12:52 remaining, but the Buckeyes then went on a 14-0 run.

Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Freshman Jereme Richmond cleared the air Monday, saying rumors about him transferring from Illinois were false.

"I dealt with some personal issues last week that caused me to miss two practices while I was home with my family in Waukegan," Richmond said in a statement. "With the help of Coach [Bruce] Weber and my family, I have worked through this situation. I appreciate their support and the support of my teammates for getting me through a difficult time.

"Unfortunately, my absence led to some false rumors that I want to put to rest. I have been, and always will be, 100 percent committed to the Illinois basketball program. My coaches and teammates are my family, and I'm looking forward to helping our team achieve our goals. I am an Illini for life."

No. 20 Wisconsin defeated No. 16 Illinois 76-66 on Saturday in a battle of ranked teams.

Keaton Nankivil nailed three three-pointers in the second half.

Jon Leuer scored 26 points and hit a critical 3-pointer down the stretch and Jordan Taylor added 22 for the Badgers, who rebounded from an overtime loss at Michigan State.

Illinois is hoping for more out of freshman center Meyers Leonard than simply jokes.

“I’m kind of an attention-getter,’’ Leonard said. “If I dunk or crack a joke, I make sure everyone knows about it. I don’t like stealing everyone’s attention. But then again, I kind of do. More than that, I like to make people laugh, and I like having a good time.’’

The Illini would like Leonard to add to their depth and bring rebounding off the bench.

He had just one rebound in eight minutes against Wisconsin recently.

“If it’s his niche for us and the future, that’s a nice niche to have,’’ Illinois coach Bruce Weber said of rebounding. “Everybody is looking for that. There’s so much for him on his plate. Once the game slows down in his mind, I would hope he would become a better rebounder.’’
Leonard must practice better, learning habits on the practice floor before carrying them into the game."

Illinois coach Bruce Weber believes that the team still relies too heavily on guard Demetri McCamey for playmaking.

Weber added that the team's four seniors haven't prepared enough this season.

“We went through that last year,’’ the coach said. “We didn’t have any seniors who were major factors in the team. You hoped we would move on from that, learn from it. Now you have four seniors who went through some of that a year ago.

“You hear (professionals) talk all the time about why they get out of the game. It’s not the game itself. It’s easy. It’s the preparation time, the practice, studying film.’’

Illinois is 0-4 in close games, when the team tends to rely heavily on McCamey.

“We have to find ways to score at the end of games, somebody besides Demetri, something besides a ball screen,’’ Weber said. “That’s the key as you go on.’’

Penn State defeated No. 16 Illinois 57-55 on Tuesday night for their second-straight victory over a ranked opponent.

Andrew Jones put back a shot with one second left to push the Nittany Lions to the win.

It was the first time Penn State beat ranked foes in consecutive games since the 1954 NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions beat then-No. 18 Michigan State 66-62 on Saturday.

Jordan Granger is drawing interest from approximately 12 teams, including the University of Illinois.

Granger is a 6-foot-8 forward out of St. Louis.

He currently plays for McCluer North High School.