It feels like this has been a long time coming.
After two months of beating up on sub-par teams in the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center, Ohio State opens Big Ten play today. The 20th-ranked Buckeyes host Iowa today in the conference-opener for both teams as each begins their quest for a Big Ten title.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa (9-4) | Schottenstein Center | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
"One of the big keys is trying to stay as healthy as you possibly can," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said of winning a Big Ten title. "You’ve got to do a good job of protecting your home court and then you’ve got to go on the road and get some wins that maybe you’re not supposed to. You look at all the years we’ve won the Big Ten, we’ve had a really good road record and won some big games on the road.”
The Hawkeyes (9-4) come to Columbus having lost two of their last three games, but should provide Ohio State (11-2) with its biggest test at home this season.
Opponent Breakdown
An NCAA tournament team a year ago, Iowa entered the 2014-15 campaign with the same aspirations.
The Hawkeyes have four losses on their resume, but played a pretty challenging non-conference schedule. Iowa has losses to No. 9 Texas, No. 12 Iowa State, No. 23 Northern Iowa and Syracuse, while picking up a win over No. 19 North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
"They’ve lost to four really, really good teams," Matta said of the Hawkeyes. "They lost a great player in Marble as we did in LaQuinton, but it’s a veteran basketball team. They’ve got a lot of guys back from a very good season last year so I view this as another Big Ten basketball game.”
Leading the way once again for Iowa is senior forward Aaron White. An Ohio native, White leads the Hawkeyes in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.2 per game).
Iowa also gets 10.6 points per game and 6.6 rebounds from Jarrod Uthoff. The Hawkeyes have four players on their roster who average at least five boards per game as they rank 25th nationally in rebounding.
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State is still a mystery to many as it enters Big Ten play.
It's kind of been the same story all year for the Buckeyes: They've looked dominant against inferior teams, but struggled against ones with similar talent levels.
Even still, Ohio State still ranks among the nation's best offensively through the non-conference. That's something very different than one year ago, even with a sub-par schedule.
The Buckeyes rank No. 7 in the country in scoring (85.3 points per game), fourth in field-goal percentage (52.6) and eighth in assists per game (18.2).
Leading the way all year has been freshman phenom D'Angelo Russell who has posted per-game averages of 17.7 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He does just about everything for Ohio State.
But the Buckeyes have also gotten consistent outside shooting, as well, thanks to redshirt freshman guard Kam Williams and sophomore forward Marc Loving. Williams shoots it at 44 percent from 3-point range while Loving ranks fifth nationally at 57.8 percent.
It will certainly be interesting to see how those percentages trend throughout the Big Ten season.
"You hope that guys continue to take the great shots but know that they’re going to be harder and harder to come by, there’s no doubt about that," Matta said.
How It'll Play Out
This game will certainly test Ohio State more than any other one played in Columbus.
The Buckeyes, who like to play a more up-tempo style, will likely be slowed down by Iowa and most other teams in the Big Ten. Fewer possessions puts extra emphasis on shot selection and the turnover battle.
Expect Ohio State to use the home crowd to its advantage in what will surely be a hard-fought game.
"We know the Big Ten is historically one of the best conferences so we know every night is going to be a dogfight," Ohio State point guard Shannon Scott said. "We’ve got to really know that we’ve got to play our ‘A’ game if we want to come out with a win.”
