INDIANAPOLIS — For the third year in a row, Iowa basketball saw a familiar opponent in the Big Ten Tournament.
Iowa was 0-2 in the previous two tournament matchups with Ohio State. The Buckeyes won by four in 2023 and 12 in 2024. But this year, that finally changed.
With Iowa leading by two and less than 20 seconds remaining, Brock Harding hit a dagger 3-pointer to put the game away.
Iowa defeated Ohio State, 77-70, on Wednesday.
For the first time since 2022, Iowa basketball has won a game in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Hawkeyes climbed the Big Ten Tournament mountaintop in 2022, winning the title by sweeping four games in four days. Since that win over Purdue in 2022, Iowa was 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-2 in the Big Ten Tournament.
More: Iowa basketball vs Ohio State recap: Hawkeyes upset Buckeyes in Big Ten Tournament
That is, until Wednesday
Iowa beat Nebraska on Sunday to sneak into the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes found some magic in Lincoln, needing to win the game in order to make the Big Ten Tournament, which includes just 15 of the league’s 18 teams.
Iowa carried that momentum over into Wednesday.
With the win, Iowa will face 7-seed Illinois on Thursday.
Iowa shakes off a horrendous start en route to offensive clinic
The Hawkeyes’ offense to start the game was not a pretty picture. Neither was Ohio State’s, which started 1-of-10 from the field. It took Iowa nearly six minutes of game time to score its first points, which from a Ladji Dembele offensive rebound and putback.
But then the floodgates opened. Iowa finished the first half with 37 points, even after that slow start.
The Hawkeyes put on an offensive clinic, finishing the game by shooting 55% from the field and 42% from deep. Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort led the way in the scoring column with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
But it was much than those two. Pryce Sandfort and Harding were also in double figures. Only one Hawkeye that got into the game on Wednesday didn’t score. Seydou Traore put together a very strong stretch to open the second half. Dembele grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Iowa basketball’s depth makes an impact
The development — and production — of Iowa’s bench unit has been one of the more encouraging storylines lately. Notably, Pryce Sandfort scored 16 in Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Sunday.
That unit came through again on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes crushed the Buckeyes in bench points, holding a 27-3 advantage.
Harding was the standout from that unit Wednesday. He contributed 15 points, including 3-of-3 from deep. Beyond Harding, Pryce Sandfort had 10 points. Even Brauns added two points and three assists.
Iowa’s defense comes through
Ohio State came into Wednesday’s game among the Big Ten’s highest-scoring offenses at 79.1 points per game.
Iowa held Ohio State far below that on Wednesday in an inspired defensive performance. The Buckeyes shot just 42% from the field and 23% from deep.
After giving up 61 second-half points to Michigan State, Iowa has responded the last two games. It allowed 68 total to Nebraska and then 70 total to Ohio State.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
