Ohio State vs. Iowa basketball: 5 keys for a Buckeye victory

Ohio State travels to Iowa Thursday night to take on a ranked Iowa team. It won’t be easy, but here’s three keys to a victory.

Locate guys, box out and rebound like crazy

Iowa’s length not only presents challenges with matchups, it can also result in some pretty lopsided rebounding advantages. But despite all the abilities of Luka Garza and others with length on the front line, the disparity hasn’t been as great as you’d think. Still, there have been games where the black and gold have had a significant edge on the glass. Ohio State can ill-afford to give the Hawkeyes second chances.

When the shot goes up, each and every Buckeye has to locate a man, box them out, and go get the basketball. We say it all the time, but extra possessions lead to more shots, and those lead to more points. For a team like Iowa that scores a lot, limiting those chances can go a long way towards victory.

Next … Rally on the blocks