Iowa Beats Ohio State 74-57 As Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament Chances Take a Hit
Iowa benefitted from a 31-4 run to overcome a 14-2 Ohio State start to win 74-57. The horrible road loss for the Buckeyes in Iowa damages the Buckeyes NCAA Tournament chances. Ohio State is 17-11 and 9-8 in the Big Ten Conference following the loss. The Hawkeyes are 20-8 overall and 10-7 in the Big Ten.
If Ohio State fails to make the NCAA Tournament, its drought will encompass all four years of star Bruce Thornton’s career. He is likely to be the program’s all-time points leader. He may be a 2,000-point scorer. Do you think the NCAA Selection Committee will not pick Thornton and the Ohio State Buckeyes?
Iowa-Ohio State Summary
This was a game of runs. Ohio State started with a 14-2 lead. This good start was nullified when Iowa went on a 31-4 run. Bennett Stirtz shot 8-of-11 and had 22 points for the Hawkeyes. Alvaro Folgueiras had a season-high 20 points and 5 assists. Cam Manyawu had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Tavion Banks scored 10 points.
For Ohio State against Iowa, Devin Royal had 16 points, and John Mobley Jr. came back from injury and scored 15 points. Thornton added 10 points, well below his usual output. Big man Christoph Tilly did not play.
Iowa and Ohio State Detailed Scoring Summary
First Half
Ohio State opened the game hot, but soon that ended. They got off to a 14-2 start, but the Hawkeyes went on a 31-4 run thereafter (including a 21-1 run). Mobley Jr., coming back after missing three games, hit two three-pointers, one contested off a dribble and another from the outer margins of Iowa’s half-court logo. Freshman Amari Bynum followed with a dunk. But that was all; Ohio State never led after 10:38.
The Hawkeyes countered immediately with a 21-1 run, thanks to a bunch of three-pointers of their own. There were several bad Ohio State turnovers and horrible shot selection. Stirtz scored 8 points during the run. The Buckeyes went more than nine minutes without a made field goal and eight minutes without points of any kind. Credit the Iowa defense, but Ohio State helped them.
Another Hawkeyes 10-0 run followed directly after, that is how we got to 31-4. Manyawu closed a disastrous Ohio State first half with a layup to extend Iowa’s lead to 37-23 going into halftime. Thornton scored no first-half points for Ohio State. Ohio State shot just 31.8% during the first half.
Second Half
The second half was depressing for fans of the Buckeyes. Iowa’s lead only grew. In the second half, Stirtz scored an early 5 points to power an 11-2 Hawkeye run. That took a 40-30 edge to 51-32.
Ohio State scored some, but any momentum they secured was quickly extinguished. Iowa soon went on an 8-0 run that made their lead more than 20 points at 66-43. 15 points was the closest Ohio State got, and the final seven minutes of the game did not matter much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Iowa won this game 74-57. Stirz was the player of the game. The turning point of the game was at 10:38 of the first half when Iowa tied Ohio State; they never looked back. Ohio State hosts Purdue on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET The Hawkeyes play at Penn State Saturday at noon.
Parting Shots
Ohio State had another opportunity in this game, and they fell flat on their faces. They have one last opportunity to get an impressive win on Sunday against No. 8 Purdue. It will be interesting to see how the committee treats them, especially if they fail at home on Sunday.
