Penn State men’s basketball came in at No. 21 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

This is the third consecutive week that the Nittany Lions have been ranked in the poll. The team originally joined the Top 25 ranked as the No. 23 team in the country earlier this month.

Pat Chambers’ squad defeated Cornell 90-59 in its last game at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday to close out non-conference play. Mike Watkins continued his impressive season in the matchup after posting a team-high 19 points and shooting 9-of-10 from the floor.

The Nittany Lions join Big Ten rivals No. 5 Ohio State, No. 12 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 15 Maryland, and No. 23 Iowa in this week’s poll. The Buckeyes fell from their No. 2 spot after a 67-59 loss to West Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

Gonzaga held its spot as the top team in the nation in this week’s poll, while Duke came in at No. 2. Penn State sits one spot ahead of Texas Tech and one spot behind Dayton at its No. 21 spot in the Top 25. The Nittany Lions also came in at No. 21 in this week’s Coaches Poll.

Big Ten play will officially begin for the Nittany Lions at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 4 when they take on No. 25 Iowa at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The matchup will be Penn State’s third against a ranked conference opponent and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.