Replay: Ohio State stumbles, loses to Iowa in Big Ten Tournament opener

INDIANAPOLIS − Ohio State came to the Big Ten Tournament not sure how many wins it might need to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The number was certainly more than zero, though. And playing a team that needed a Sunday win to even quality for the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes will quickly turn around and go back to Columbus to ponder what will be a season that came up short of achieving any goals.

No. 10 seed Ohio State (17-15) trailed for all but a few seconds of the second half and dropped a 77-70 loss to No. 15 seed Iowa in the first round of the conference tournament. It’s a second straight loss for the Buckeyes, who have flirted with playing their way off the NCAA Tournament bubble but now have seemingly done it.

The Hawkeyes (17-15) trailed 59-58 after a Bruce Thornton basket with 8:48 left but immediate scored on consecutive possessions to take the lead, and they would never trail again.

Ohio State is now likely headed to the College Basketball Crown event, which is in its inaugural year. As one of the Big Ten’s two highest-rated teams in the NET to likely not quality for the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes are contractually obligated to play in the event and not the NIT.

Iowa pulling away from Ohio State

Within 63-61, Ohio State had five chances to tie or take the lead. The Buckeyes turned it over on three of those possessions, and now after a Pryce Sandfort 3-pointer the Hawkeyes are ahead 68-61 with 3:37 to play.

Time is quickly running out for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State rallies, briefly reclaims lead

Down 57-50 with about 11 minutes to play, Ohio State put together an 8-0 run, scoring on four straight possessions to take its first lead of the second half at 58-57 with 8:48 to play.

Iowa immediately answered, though, with a drive from Pryce Sandfort, who then scored on the next possession, too, to give Iowa a 61-58 lead with 7:27 left.

Ohio State turns up defense, claws back into game

Down 54-46, Ohio State got a paint bucket from Bruce Thornton to pull within six and the defense has been active from there. Micah Parrish nabbed the ball from Josh Dix and scored at the other end, then Ques Glover knocked the ball loose from Brock Harding, dove on it and secured the steal.

The Buckeyes have the ball with 11:33 left, trailing 54-50.

John Mobley Jr. turnover leads to Iowa transition dunk

Down 50-46, Ohio State had the ball on the left wing and in Mobley's hands. Devin Royal was clapping for the ball at the top of the circle, but Mobley's pass was easily nabbed by Saydou Traore, who dunked at the other end to push Iowa's lead to a game-high six points.

The Buckeyes called timeout with 14:20 to play, and it feels like this is slipping away from them right now.

Payton Sandfort gets hot as Iowa opens up second-half lead

Sandfort had 8 points at the half, but he scored seven on the first four possessions of the second half to push the Hawkeyes to a 48-44 lead at the first media timeout.

Sandfort has 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting to lead Iowa. Devin Royal also has 15 for Ohio State on 6-of-9 shooting.

Who will control the opening minutes of the second half?

Ohio State and Iowa entered the Big Ten Tournament with different degrees of motivation. With a win, the Buckeyes will keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. With a loss, the Hawkeyes could be saying goodbye to the coach, Fran McCaffery.

Against those backdrops, it's 37-all. Ohio State has looked tight at times, while Iowa has generally gotten easier looks than the Buckeyes during the first half. The opening segment of the second half could go a long way toward deciding which team wins.

John Mobley Jr. 3-pointer ties game at halftime

Ohio State's freshman guard was just 1 for 6 from 3-point range, but the Buckeyes called timeout with 27.3 seconds left in the half and drew up a play. It looked designed for Mobley, who buried the 3 from the left wing with a few seconds left and sending the teams into their locker rooms tied at 37.

Iowa is 14 for 27 (51.9%) from the floor and Ohio State is just 11 for 28 (39.3%).

Bruce Thornton has only taken two shots for the Buckeyes, but he has 7 points and is 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. He also has assisted on six of Ohio State's 11 made field goals.

Iowa's 3-point shooting puts Hawkeyes back on top

The Buckeyes keep firing from 3-point range. So does Iowa, but the Hawkeyes are making them at a better clip.

Iowa is 5 for 11 from deep (although two of the misses are airballs) while Ohio State is only 4 for 13, and the Hawkeyes lead 29-28 with 3:48 left in the half. The Buckeyes have gotten to the line and are 9 for 13, while the Hawkeyes are only 2 for 2. It's been the main stat keeping Ohio State in the game.

John Mobley Jr. is 1 for 7 from the floor and 1 for 6 from 3.

Offenses wake up, Ohio State holds slight lead

After a brutal open to the game that saw Ohio State and Iowa score on a combined four of the first 21 possessions, things have started to heat up.

Devin Royal just scored while drawing a foul to take us to the under-8 timeout, and his basket at the rim made it 15 of the last 18 possessions with points. Ohio State leads 23-21 with a free-throw pending from Royal.

Iowa's Pryce Sandfort just picked up his second foul.

Iowa starts to make shots, Ohio State still not

Ohio State's Sean Stewart is headed to the line to shoot two free throws, and if not for the charity stripe the Buckeyes would be in big trouble early. Ohio State is 1 for 10 to start the game and 1 for 5 from 3 but has gone 5 for 6 from the line.

Iowa has scored on three straight possessions to tie the game at 8. The Hawkeyes have affected nearly every shot the Buckeyes have taken so far.

Micah Parrish picks up a second foul

With 14:23 left in the first half, Ohio State's Micah Parrish just picked up a second foul and headed to the bench. Ohio State's third-leading scorer this season and one of its most important defenders, Parrish's absence could loom large going forward.

Neither team has a field goal at the first media timeout

It's not been a visually appealing start to the game for either team. With 15:47 left in the first half, Ohio State leads 3-0, with all three points coming via the free-throw line.

Iowa is 0 for 4 from the field with three turnovers while Ohio State is 0 for 5 with one turnover. Devin Royal has a free throw and John Mobley Jr. has two. Otherwise, this has been a pretty tough start for both teams.

Starters announced for Ohio State-Iowa

Here are today's starters.

Ohio State: Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Micah Parrish, Devin Royal, Sean Stewart

Iowa: Drew Thelwell, Josh Dix, Payton Sandfort, Seydou Traore, Ladji Dembele

Watch as Ohio State warms up in hallway

The Buckeyes are getting loose as Northwestern and Minnesota play.

Ohio State missing Austin Parks for Iowa game

Sophomore center Austin Parks is battling an illness and has not made the trip to Indianapolis. Otherwise, the Buckeyes have no surprises on the official availability report.

Video: Pregame thoughts from Ohio State-Iowa

Today marks 15 years since Evan Turner's shot against Michigan

One of the most iconic Ohio State moments in Big Ten Tournament history occurred 15 years ago today, when Evan Turner's last-second shot took down Michigan in a quarterfinal game. Ohio State coach Jake Diebler was in the crowd as a fan for that game, and he relayed his memories of that in this story.

And if you're wondering who Thad Matta was yelling at after the shot went in, you'll want to read this story.

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Ohio State vs Iowa predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 11

ODDS: Ohio State (-5.5)

O/U: 155.5

Moneyline: Ohio State (-220) | Iowa (+180)

Ohio State vs Iowa history

• Series record: Ohio State leads 86-85
• Ohio State's last win: Jan. 27, 2025 (82-65)
• Iowa's last win: Feb. 2, 2024 (79-77

Ohio State Buckeyes 2024-25 schedule, record

Here's a look at the Buckeyes' schedule, along with start times, television, and radio information of upcoming games:

• Monday, Nov. 4: Ohio State 80, Texas 72 (takeaways)
• Monday, Nov. 11: Ohio State 81, Youngstown State 47 (takeaways)
• Friday, Nov. 15: Texas A&M 78, Ohio State 64 (takeaways)
• Tuesday, Nov. 19: Ohio State 80, Evansville 30 (takeaways)
• Friday, Nov. 22: Ohio State 104, Campbell 60 (takeaways)
• Monday, Nov. 25: Ohio State 102, Green Bay 69 (takeaways)
• Friday, Nov. 29: Pitt 91, Ohio State 90 (OT) (takeaways)
• NOVEMBER RECORD: 5-2
• Wednesday, Dec. 4: Maryland 83, Ohio State 59 (takeaways)
• Saturday, Dec. 7: Ohio State 80, Rutgers 66 (takeaways)
• Saturday, Dec. 14: No. 2 Auburn 91, Ohio State 53 (takeaways)
• Tuesday, Dec. 17: Ohio State 95, Valparaiso 73 (takeaways)
• Saturday, Dec. 21: Ohio State 85 No. 4 Kentucky 65 (takeaways)
• Sunday, Dec. 29: Ohio State 103, Indiana State 83 (takeaways)
• DECEMBER RECORD: 4-2
• Friday, Jan. 3: No. 18 Michigan State 69, Ohio State 62 (takeaways)
• Monday, Jan. 6: Ohio State 89, Minnesota 88, 2OT (takeaways)
• Thursday, Jan. 9: No. 15 Oregon 73, Ohio State 71 (takeaways)
• Tuesday, Jan. 14: No. 24 Wisconsin 70, Ohio State 68 (takeaways)
• Friday, Jan. 17: Indiana 77, Ohio State 76, OT (takeaways)
• Tuesday, Jan. 21: Ohio State 73, No. 11 Purdue 70 (takeaways)
• Monday, Jan. 27: Ohio State 82, Iowa 65 (takeaways)
• Thursday, Jan. 30: Ohio State 83, Penn State 64 (takeaways)
• JANUARY RECORD: 4-4
• Sunday, Feb. 2: No. 18 Illinois 87, Ohio State 79 (takeaways)
• Thursday, Feb. 6: Ohio State 73, No. 18 Maryland 70 (takeaways)
• Sunday, Feb. 9: Nebraska 79, Ohio State 71 (takeaways)
• Wednesday, Feb. 12: Ohio State 93, Washington 69 (takeaways)
• Sunday, Feb. 16: No. 20 Michigan 86, Ohio State 83 (takeaways)
• Thursday, Feb. 20: Northwestern 70, Ohio State 49 (takeaways)
• Sunday, Feb. 23: UCLA 69, Ohio State 61 (takeaways)
• Wednesday, Feb. 26: Ohio State 87, USC 82 (takeaways)
• FEBRUARY RECORD: 3-5
• Tuesday, March 4: Ohio State 116, Nebraska 114, 2OT (takeaways)
• Saturday, March 8: Indiana 66, Ohio State 60 (takeaways)
• MARCH RECORD: 1-1

Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes records

• Records: Ohio State 17-14; Iowa 16-15

How can I watch/listen to the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes game?

• TV Channel: None
• Livestream: Peacock
• Radio: WBNS-FM (97.1)

Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes start time

Date: Wednesday, March 12

Time: Approximately 6 p.m. ET

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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