Tag: Ohio State vs. Iowa basketball

After dropping two games in a row, the Ohio State basketball team finds itself in a precarious predicament. The Buckeyes have been hanging on to a No. 4 ranking and expected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but that is nowhere near being a sure thing at this point.

OSU played well enough to win both of its losses to Michigan and Michigan State but ultimately couldn’t close out either game allowing both opponents to take leads late in the game. I’ll give a pass against the No. 3 Wolverines, but against unraked Sparty, there was a lack of defensive focus and poor offensive positions in the final minutes.

The road certainly doesn’t get any easier as Ohio State plays host to No. 9 Iowa in a rematch from earlier in the month. The Bucks took care of the Hawkeyes in Iowa City with some sharp shooting and a well-executed game plan against center, Luka Garza.

With only two games left before the Big Ten tournament, this one seems like a game OSU needs to win to get momentum on its side again.

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It’s no secret the Big Ten Conference is really good. And tonight, we get a top ten matchup when No. 7 Ohio State travels to Iowa City to face the No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Buckeyes haven’t played since knocking off Michigan State by a margin of 17 points on Sunday. Iowa then played Sparty two days later beating MSU by 6.

It will be interesting to see how OSU handles the size of the Hawkeyes. Luka Garza is a beast at 6 feet, 11 inches, can play inside and out, averages 26.5 points per game, and shoots over 45 percent from beyond the arc. Iowa also has another almost seven-footer in Jack Nunge. It could be a matchup problem for the Buckeyes who top out at 6 feet, 8 inches.

Tonight’s game has huge implications in the Big Ten standings as well. Ohio State and Iowa are both currently tied for third place finding themselves just a game and a half behind conference leader, Michigan.

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