Ohio State’s stay in Indianapolis was a short one, falling to 15th seeded Iowa 77-70 most likely ending any hope of getting into the NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes, who advance to play Illinois in round two tomorrow evening, improved to 17-15 with the win, while the Buckeyes fell to 17-15. A 7-0 Hawkeye run late in the game coincided with an over four minute scoring drought and although Ohio State got it to within two in the closing seconds, a wide open three slammed the door on the Buckeyes officially ending the Buckeyes tournament stay. Iowa shot 55% for the game, knocking down 10 of 24 from three, while Ohio State shot 42%, making just 5 of 22 from long range. Bruce Thornton led Ohio State with 24 points and 9 assists, while Devin Royal added 17 points and 6 rebounds and Micah Parrish chipped in 16. Iowa was led by Peyton Sandfort with 17, while Josh Dix added 16, Bryce Harding 15 and Pryce Sandfort chipped in 10. 

The teams combined to go 0 for 9 shooting in the opening minutes as the Buckeyes defense forced 3 Iowa turnovers and converted 3 of 4 free throws to take a 3-0 lead into the first media timeout. The field goal drought ended when Bruce Thornton split two defenders, penetrated the lane and kicked to Ques Glover in the right corner for three to double the Buckeye advantage. Iowa outscored Ohio State 8-2 with the Buckeyes only mustering a pair of Thornton free throws as the game was tied 8-8 at the under 12. An Iowa triple upped the run to 11-2 and gave the Hawkeyes their first lead, but Thornton answered on the other end with a three to re-tie the score. After Sean Stewart scored at the rim off a dribble drive, Iowa grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked out for a three to put the Hawkeyes back in front. Micah Parrish hit a pair of free throws to shift Ohio State back ahead, but the lead changed hands again when Iowa scored at the rim. Back to back threes by Parrish and John Mobley sandwiched an Iowa triple and after an Iowa bucket tied the score, Thornton fed Royal in the paint for two with a foul and the whistle triggered the under 8 media timeout with Ohio State leading 23-21. Royal’s free throw out of the timeout completed the three point play and increased the Buckeye lead. After another Iowa three tied the score, a Royal deuce and a steal and uncontested dunk by Parrish put the Buckeyes up 4. Five straight Hawkeye points capped by a corner three put Iowa back in front at the final media break of the half, 29-28. A pair of Thornton free throws stopped the run as the lead changed hands again. The Buckeyes added to the lead when Royal scored from the right baseline, but Iowa scored the next 5 to regain the lead. An alley oop from Thornton to Royal for a dunk re-tied the game, but yet another Hawkeye triple put Iowa up three and Ohio State took a timeout with 27 seconds remaining.  Ohio State ran their best offensive set of the game thus far and it led to a Mobley triple with 5 seconds left in the half. After a quick Iowa timeout, the Hawkeyes raced up the floor and their runner fell off target as the teams went to their respective locker rooms with the game deadlocked at 37. Iowa shrugged off a slow start shooting to catch fire and shoot 52% for the half including 6 of 14 from three. Ohio State never could find a rhythm offensively, struggling to shoot 39% and 5 of 14 from beyond the arc. Ohio State did most of their damage from the stripe, hitting 10 of 13 compared to 3 makes on just 3 attempts for Iowa who did their damage from the perimeter. The Buckeyes also forced 6 Iowa turnovers, turning those into 7 points, while turning it over just 3 times. Ohio State was led by 10 points from Devin Royal, while Iowa got 10 from Brock Harding. 

Iowa opened the second half scoring the first four before Royal grabbed an offensive rebound and scored through contact. His free throw dropped to complete the three point play and cut the Iowa lead to 1. An Iowa bucket and three on consecutive possessions sandwiched a Royal dunk and after a Thornton bucket, Iowa scored at the rim and at the under 16, Iowa led 48-44. Thornton again scored with a short jumper, but after an Iowa score, the Buckeyes Mobley had a pass picked off and taken the other way for a dunk forcing Jake Diebler to take a timeout with 14:20 to go and Iowa leading 52-46. The Hawkeyes added to their lead with a bucket mid-paint, but a Thornton jumper and a steal and transition dunk by Parrish cut Iowa’s lead to 54-50 at the under 12 minute media timeout. An Iowa three after a Buckeye turnover increased the lead, but a pair of Thornton free throws and a Ques Glover steal led to a Royal bucket off a dribble drive to get Ohio State to within 3 at the midpoint of the second half. The Buckeye defense forced a 5 second call and Ohio State took advantage as Parrish scored off the window pulling the Buckeyes to within a point. A Thornton short jumper briefly gave Ohio State a lead, but four straight Hawkeye points gave Iowa a 61-58 lead at the under 8 media timeout. Out of the timeout, Parrish, attacking the rim, scored with contact and his ensuing free throw fell to tie the score. Iowa broke the tie with a pair of free throws and added to it with a driving layup as Ohio State had gone ice cold. An Iowa triple extended the lead and forced Ohio State to take a timeout with 3:37 to play and Iowa trying to put it away, up 68-61. Parrish and Thornton scored on consecutive possessions around an Iowa hoop to cut the deficit to 5, but a pair of Iowa free throws extended the lead back to 7 with under 2 minutes left to play. A driving lay up by Thornton while being fouled cut into the lead and after his free throw dropped, the Buckeyes were within 4 and Iowa took a timeout to avoid a 10 second violation with 51 seconds left and the Hawkeyes clinging to a 72-68 lead. Out of the timeout, Iowa turned it over to the Buckeyes and Thornton hit a pull up jumper to cut it to 2 with 44 seconds to play. Iowa ended all hopes of a late comeback with a three and added two free throws to complete the scoring sending the hapless Buckeyes home. 

A truly embarrassing performance from start to finish for a basketball team fighting to get into the NCAA tournament. They played with no urgency on offense and got lost on defense on too many possessions allowing Iowa to have open looks on multiple occasions and they made Ohio State pay. To lose back to back games with so much to play for, especially this game against a bad Iowa team is unacceptable but they will have to own it and move on. The Buckeyes didn’t quit and battled to the final horn as they usually do, but to even be in the position they were in late in the game due to long stretches of empty possessions was a microcosm of the season. They won some big games against good opponents, but could never find the consistency necessary to string multiple wins together and unfortunately the end result is disappointing. Where this season went off the rails is up for debate, and will be discussed down the road, but certainly this offseason will be huge for Jake Diebler and his staff. He will return the majority of the roster barring transfers and as of now have 3 scholarships available to use in the portal and they clearly have some specific need. Additionally, the offseason will be extremely important for the continued development of key players such as Devin Royal, Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart and John Mobley. It remains to be seen if there will be any more basketball to be played this season, but the likelihood of playing in the NCAA tournament is almost nil. If not, they will most likely be offered a spot in the new College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas and if they choose to participate will be known in the coming week. For now, they head back to Columbus disappointed about what could have been for a season that started with high hopes, and ended in bitter defeat.

Ohio State will go home and now await a likely appearance if they accept, in the College Basketball Crown Tournament taking place in Las Vegas, playing either March 31 or April 1 airing on FS1 with time TBD.

-Jason Harris