It's hard to call Ohio State's close to its 2024-25 season anything other than pathetic.
A win on Saturday at Indiana could have all but clinched an NCAA Tournament berth. Following a late-game collapse and 66-60 loss, the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten Tournament likely needing at least one win to have a shot to go dancing. Their opponent, Iowa, suffered a 17-point loss to OSU earlier this season. There seemed few better opponents for a do-or-die game.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #15 IOWA | 37 | 40 | 77 |
| #10 OHIO STATE | 37 | 33 | 70 |
Instead, Ohio State's offense again fell apart in the late stages of a critical game and the Buckeyes (17-15, 9-12 Big Ten) fell to the Hawkeyes (17-15, 8-13) 77-70 following a late 7-0 run over four minutes by Iowa.
Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix and Brock Harding led the way for Iowa with 17, 16 and 15 points. Bruce Thornton did his best to will Ohio State to victory with 24 points, but it was not meant to be. Devin Royal and Micah Parrish followed with 17 and 16 points.
First Half
| IOWA | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 77 | POINTS | 70 |
| 29-53 (54.7%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 25-59 (42.4%) |
| 10-24 (41.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-22 (22.7%) |
| 9-10 (90%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-20 (75%) |
| 12 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 29 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 31 |
| 6 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 23 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 18 |
| 27 | BENCH POINTS | 3 |
| 6 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 5 | STEALS | 7 |
| 18 | ASSISTS | 11 |
There's no way to describe the first seven minutes other than an ugly basketball game. It probably should have come with a toxic waste hazard warning.
Ohio State and Iowa went a combined 0-for-10 from the field and turned the ball over five combined times in the first five minutes. The Hawkeyes didn't score any points, period, for the first five minutes and 49 seconds. The Buckeyes didn't take much advantage.
Sandfort catalyzed a 7-0 Iowa run with a midrange jumper, with a triple from guard Harding placing the Hawkeyes ahead 11-8. Both offenses started to open up a bit at last.
Thornton canned a 3-pointer to tie the game and center Sean Stewart put Ohio State ahead with a putback layup, then Harding hit a 3. It soon became a hailstorm of perimeter shots, with Harding, Pryce Sandfort and Dix knocking a trio down for the Hawkeyes as Mobley and Parrish answered for the Buckeyes. Royal stuck back a miss and Parrish grabbed a steal for a runaway dunk to give Ohio State a brief two-score lead but Iowa guard Drew Thelwell countered with a triple.
Payton Sandfort put the Hawkeyes back ahead 37-34 with less than a minute to play in the first half, but Mobley brought a chaotic half to a close with a last-second circus 3 off a dribble. There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the opening period.
Second Half
Royal kept the Buckeyes hanging by a thread as Iowa scored nine points in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, fighting through three Hawkeyes for an offensive rebound and three-point play, then cutting open for a one-handed slam.
Despite his efforts, Iowa started gaining some separation. Payton Sandfort hit a 3, then two baskets from forward Seydou Traore opened a 6-0 run that pushed the Hawkeyes to their largest lead of the game, 54-46.
Trailing 57-50, Ohio State clawed back into the game with an 8-0 run. Thornton opened and closed the stretch with two free throws and a floater, with Royal ever-present on a cheeky reverse layup. Pryce Sandfort hit back-to-back baskets for the Hawkeyes, Parrish converted a 3-point play the old-fashioned way and the contest was knotted at 61 with 7:25 remaining.
Then the Buckeyes hit another in what has been a string of late-game scoring walls. As they went nearly four minutes without scoring, Iowa launched a 7-0 run capped by a Pryce Sandfort triple to go ahead 68-61 in the final three minutes. Thornton, still yet to make an NCAA Tournament in a decorated three-year career in Columbus, gave one last effort to keep his squad's dancing hopes alive.
He followed up a tough fadeaway with a furious and-one layup to cut the lead to 72-68 with less than 60 seconds left. Ohio State forced a Harding travel and another Thornton floater cut it to 72-70 with 45 seconds left.
But Harding accounted for his mistake with a dagger of a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, sticking a knife in the Buckeyes for the game and, likely, their NCAA Tournament hopes.
What's Next
Ohio State will find out its fate for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show starts at 6 p.m. Sunday on CBS. If Ohio State misses the NCAA Tournament, it will end its season by playing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
Game Notes
- Ohio State met Iowa in each of the previous two Big Ten Tournaments, winning both of those matchups.
- Star Iowa center Owen Freeman, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, was out with an injury on Wednesday.
- The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes combined for 22 turnovers.
- Should Ohio State miss the NCAA Tournament, it will be the first time in 20 years (2003-05) that it has failed to go dancing three years in a row.
