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LGHL Ohio State players won’t say it, but they wanted Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament
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Ohio State players won’t say it, but they wanted Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes take on the Hawkeyes tonight, and they wouldn’t have it any other way
On Thursday afternoon, before Ohio State women’s basketball was set for their last practiced at home before taking the three-hour bus trip west to Indianapolis, Indiana, forwards Taylor Thierry and Ajae Petty spoke with the media. It was a “last hurrah” kind of availability to fit in last second questions about March experience for the two senior members of the team, team chemistry and if the team is prepared for the postseason.
At the time, the opponent for the Buckeyes’ Friday night quarterfinal game of the Big Ten Tournament was undecided. It would either be the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans or the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes.
Thierry and Petty were asked point blank: which team would you rather face?
The pair laughed and sighed. Then out came the PC answer.
“I honestly don’t care. I think they’re both really good teams,” said Thierry. “It’s gonna be either, honestly, any team that we play, they’re just gonna be hard, it’s gonna be tough games. So I don’t think I really have a preference, but I just wanna focus on our end, on executing our game plan.”
A great, well-trained, answer to a question that doesn’t have a right answer. Say a specific team, get that team and then lose to them creates bulletin board material. It puts undue pressure on the situation.
Pressure is not something the Iowa vs. Ohio State rivalry lacked over the last four years. The two sides shared a Big Ten regular season title, the Hawkeyes beat the Buckeyes in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament final and the two played a pay-per-view level overtime thriller in Columbus in January of 2024.
Later on in the conversation, Thierry was asked more about Iowa. This time it was seeing if Thierry felt the same way forward Cotie McMahon feels about the Hawkeyes.
Last year, after the overtime win for Ohio State, a win that went towards the Buckeyes earning the sole custody of the Big Ten regulars season title, McMahon shared how personal it was to beat the Hawkeyes and this year she reinforced it after scoring 25 points against them on Feb. 17. After the win, McMahon was asked if she still thinks the matchup is personal.
“Oh, yeah, for sure. It’s never going to change,” said McMahon.
This rivalry hit a fever pitch in January of 2023. After beating Ohio State in Columbus, then Iowa guard Caitlin Clark took a dub chain shirt (a giveaway that night) and threw it over her shoulder as she walked in front of the Buckeyes’ bench.
“Caitlin Clark took the dub chain shirt, as like a little joke, whatever, which is cool,” said McMahon. “I was just thinking in my head, seeing that, we just have to smile through it and move on to the next.”
In 2024, the next regular season game for the two teams, McMahon had 33 points and 12 rebounds in the 100-92 Ohio State victory. That was the first time McMahon shared more about how the Buckeyes see the Hawkeyes.
“This game was personal. This game was very personal,” said McMahon. “And I think I responded well.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25240762/usa_today_22344388.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
On Friday, Ohio State is looking for another good response for many reasons. For one, it’s the postseason. Any loss is the team’s last for the tournament. The Buckeyes potentially only have two games left the entire season if they both end in defeat.
Another reason is earning home court advantage in March Madness. Even though the team doesn’t outwardly say it, no side wants to travel over staying at a home. The Buckeyes are teetering on the edge of hosting, with Bracketology experts moving the side to a No. 5 seed, when top-four seeds all host the first two rounds of March Madness.
The last reason is that Ohio State wants to beat Iowa. It’s a rivalry game. To answer the previous question, Thierry is clear about how she feels about playing Iowa.
“Obviously, looking at the past games that we’ve had against them, I feel like it’s always been a chippy game, pretty physical game,” said Thierry. “I feel like there’s been a little bit of disrespect on their end. So I think that we just use that as motivators and just out there ready to compete.”
What was that disrespect, in Thierry’s eyes? Can the hybrid guard/forward elaborate? Thierry stumbled slightly before saying two simple words.
“That’s okay.”
The world may never know all of the reasons, but Ohio State knows. On Friday, that will all come back to Ohio State. How the Buckeyes respond will decide who wins the next chapter of the rivalry and who gets to move on to play on Saturday.
There will likely be a familiar face in the crowd on Friday too, with former Hawkeye and now Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark taking in both previous Iowa games of the tournament from court side.
Don’t expect many Ohio State players to go over and say hello.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes take on the Hawkeyes tonight, and they wouldn’t have it any other way
On Thursday afternoon, before Ohio State women’s basketball was set for their last practiced at home before taking the three-hour bus trip west to Indianapolis, Indiana, forwards Taylor Thierry and Ajae Petty spoke with the media. It was a “last hurrah” kind of availability to fit in last second questions about March experience for the two senior members of the team, team chemistry and if the team is prepared for the postseason.
At the time, the opponent for the Buckeyes’ Friday night quarterfinal game of the Big Ten Tournament was undecided. It would either be the No. 24 Michigan State Spartans or the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes.
Thierry and Petty were asked point blank: which team would you rather face?
The pair laughed and sighed. Then out came the PC answer.
“I honestly don’t care. I think they’re both really good teams,” said Thierry. “It’s gonna be either, honestly, any team that we play, they’re just gonna be hard, it’s gonna be tough games. So I don’t think I really have a preference, but I just wanna focus on our end, on executing our game plan.”
A great, well-trained, answer to a question that doesn’t have a right answer. Say a specific team, get that team and then lose to them creates bulletin board material. It puts undue pressure on the situation.
Pressure is not something the Iowa vs. Ohio State rivalry lacked over the last four years. The two sides shared a Big Ten regular season title, the Hawkeyes beat the Buckeyes in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament final and the two played a pay-per-view level overtime thriller in Columbus in January of 2024.
Later on in the conversation, Thierry was asked more about Iowa. This time it was seeing if Thierry felt the same way forward Cotie McMahon feels about the Hawkeyes.
Last year, after the overtime win for Ohio State, a win that went towards the Buckeyes earning the sole custody of the Big Ten regulars season title, McMahon shared how personal it was to beat the Hawkeyes and this year she reinforced it after scoring 25 points against them on Feb. 17. After the win, McMahon was asked if she still thinks the matchup is personal.
“Oh, yeah, for sure. It’s never going to change,” said McMahon.
This rivalry hit a fever pitch in January of 2023. After beating Ohio State in Columbus, then Iowa guard Caitlin Clark took a dub chain shirt (a giveaway that night) and threw it over her shoulder as she walked in front of the Buckeyes’ bench.
“Caitlin Clark took the dub chain shirt, as like a little joke, whatever, which is cool,” said McMahon. “I was just thinking in my head, seeing that, we just have to smile through it and move on to the next.”
In 2024, the next regular season game for the two teams, McMahon had 33 points and 12 rebounds in the 100-92 Ohio State victory. That was the first time McMahon shared more about how the Buckeyes see the Hawkeyes.
“This game was personal. This game was very personal,” said McMahon. “And I think I responded well.”
On Friday, Ohio State is looking for another good response for many reasons. For one, it’s the postseason. Any loss is the team’s last for the tournament. The Buckeyes potentially only have two games left the entire season if they both end in defeat.
Another reason is earning home court advantage in March Madness. Even though the team doesn’t outwardly say it, no side wants to travel over staying at a home. The Buckeyes are teetering on the edge of hosting, with Bracketology experts moving the side to a No. 5 seed, when top-four seeds all host the first two rounds of March Madness.
The last reason is that Ohio State wants to beat Iowa. It’s a rivalry game. To answer the previous question, Thierry is clear about how she feels about playing Iowa.
“Obviously, looking at the past games that we’ve had against them, I feel like it’s always been a chippy game, pretty physical game,” said Thierry. “I feel like there’s been a little bit of disrespect on their end. So I think that we just use that as motivators and just out there ready to compete.”
What was that disrespect, in Thierry’s eyes? Can the hybrid guard/forward elaborate? Thierry stumbled slightly before saying two simple words.
“That’s okay.”
The world may never know all of the reasons, but Ohio State knows. On Friday, that will all come back to Ohio State. How the Buckeyes respond will decide who wins the next chapter of the rivalry and who gets to move on to play on Saturday.
There will likely be a familiar face in the crowd on Friday too, with former Hawkeye and now Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark taking in both previous Iowa games of the tournament from court side.
Don’t expect many Ohio State players to go over and say hello.
Continue reading...
LGHL Big Ten Tournament Game Preview: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Iowa
- News
- 0 Replies
Big Ten Tournament Game Preview: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Iowa
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes renew their rivalry three weeks after an overtime thriller.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s March and it’s college basketball. Friday night, Ohio State women’s basketball enters the postseason conference madness before the national March Madness tournament.
After earning the No. 3 tournament seed and a double-bye, Ohio State’s first game is against one of the hottest teams right now in college basketball. A team the Buckeyes have some drama with on and off the court over the past few years.
In the last quarterfinal game of the day, Ohio State takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes, hoping to forget last year’s quarterfinal upset and work towards securing home court for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
To say Iowa is one of the hottest teams in the nation isn’t hyperbole. The Hawkeyes have eight wins in the last 10 games of the season after falling in five straight at the beginning of 2025. In that run, Iowa defeated the eventual Big Ten championship-winning USC Trojans, the lone tarnish on the Los Angeles side’s record in conference play.
Even the losses showed how the Hawkeyes are hitting their stride at the right time. The first came against the Buckeyes, in Columbus. Down 14 points with 1:38 remaining, the Black and Yellow, led by guard Lucy Olsen, forced overtime in a fast and hectic comeback.
Iowa lost, and they lost their next game too but that was a two-point defeat to the UCLA Bruins, in Iowa City.
So, suffice to say that Iowa is not a normal No. 11 seed.
On Thursday, the Hawkeyes beat the No. 24 ranked Michigan State Spartans, the No. 6 tournament seed. After losing to Sparty by two points in the regular season, the Hawkeyes went down four points after the first quarter but had a big response in the second quarter, out scoring Michigan State 20-9.
The Hawkeyes tried holding off Michigan State in the third quarter, but the Spartans are known for late comebacks themselves and took a short-lived five-point lead. Iowa scored eight to finish the third quarter and then scored 20 in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 74-61 victory.
Head coach Jan Jensen, in her first year running the Iowa program, saw her side through a rough spell earlier in the season, a spell due to forward Hannah Stuelke moving from a No. 5 position to a power forward. The Hawkeyes never truly adjusted and Jansen had the wherewithal to go back to what worked, and it’s working.
Stuelke is an offensive weapon who will hurt teams inside the post, even if she’s not scoring baskets consistently. The space she takes, and defenders she pulls in, benefits those on the outside.
Olsen is the main benefactor with a 23.1 points per game average in the last eight games and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc in that stretch with 23 made three-point shots.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25900964/usa_today_25600235.jpg "Syndication: The Indianapolis Star")
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In Columbus, Ohio State built a lead thanks to strong play against Stuelke. The Buckeyes held Stuelke to 10 points and five rebounds, with freshman center Elsa Lemmilä picking up three blocks against the junior forward. Olsen scored 27 and guard Sydney Affolter was relentless on the boards with 15 rebounds.
Since then, rebounding for the Buckeyes has improved through the play of forward Ajae Petty. The graduate forward has three double-doubles in a row after going 10 games where Petty didn’t even reach double-digit points or rebounds.
“My process never changed even when things were going kind of rough,” said Petty about coming out of the cold spell. “Sometimes you gotta accept the place that God places you in. You just gotta continue to keep grinding it out. So sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s the beauty of the game.”
It’s working for Ohio State now but they also need more minutes out of Jaloni Cambridge.
Against Maryland, the guard played 18 minutes due to foul trouble and fouled out in the fourth quarter. Head coach Kevin McGuff said it boils down to Cambridge being hard working player who wants to get into every play. McGuff and Cambridge talked about being careful with her hands and being selective on when to get into a play.
“We need her,” said McGuff. “We need her on the floor.”
Cambridge led Ohio State with 29 points against the Hawkeyes and should come into Friday with a little more motivation considering her being unavailable when the team needed her against the Terrapins. Both her and McMahon are a focal point for coach Jansen and the Hawkeyes.
“Man, Jaloni [Cambridge], I’ll tell you what, she’s tremendous,” said Jansen following Iowa’s Thursday night win. “Cotie McMahon, tremendous. All of them, man, they’re just really explosive, they’re powerful, they press.”
“We have to handle their press. We have to handle their speed,” said Jansen. “Jaloni got downhill on us real fast, real often there, and I don’t know if anybody’s been able to really slow her down.”
Even with applause from the opposing coach, Ohio State isn’t at a the point where they have played a full 40 minutes of their desired style of basketball. To avoid a second consecutive upset in the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes will need more against the Hawkeyes.
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
G- Sydney Affolter
G- Kylie Feuerbach
G- Taylor McCabe
G- Lucy Olsen
F- Hannah Stuelke
This game is going to be close. What will get Ohio State over the Hawkeyes is the motivated play of forward Cotie McMahon and freshman Jaloni Cambridge. The two will lead the Buckeye scoring, and Ohio State will force turnovers from the Iowa side.
It will be a loud, pro-Iowa, crowd. The Hawkeye faithful are already in Indianapolis and more will descend as the tournament moves on with Iowa taking part. That will make it a tough environment to play in and give the Hawkeyes a boost.
Date: Friday, March. 7, 2025
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: FOX Sports App
Just when you thought it was safe to watch Big Ten women’s basketball, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark has returned. This time the guard is a spectator, watching the side she led to the last three Big Ten Tournament championships.
Playing in the same arena for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, Clark watched both Wednesday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers and the win over Sparty on Thursday.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25900963/usa_today_25592343.jpg "Syndication: The Indianapolis Star")
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
That means that the guard will more than likely be court side on Friday, adding a little bit of intrigue for an Ohio State side that has their fair share of history with the former Hawkeye star.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes renew their rivalry three weeks after an overtime thriller.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s March and it’s college basketball. Friday night, Ohio State women’s basketball enters the postseason conference madness before the national March Madness tournament.
After earning the No. 3 tournament seed and a double-bye, Ohio State’s first game is against one of the hottest teams right now in college basketball. A team the Buckeyes have some drama with on and off the court over the past few years.
In the last quarterfinal game of the day, Ohio State takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes, hoping to forget last year’s quarterfinal upset and work towards securing home court for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Preview
To say Iowa is one of the hottest teams in the nation isn’t hyperbole. The Hawkeyes have eight wins in the last 10 games of the season after falling in five straight at the beginning of 2025. In that run, Iowa defeated the eventual Big Ten championship-winning USC Trojans, the lone tarnish on the Los Angeles side’s record in conference play.
Even the losses showed how the Hawkeyes are hitting their stride at the right time. The first came against the Buckeyes, in Columbus. Down 14 points with 1:38 remaining, the Black and Yellow, led by guard Lucy Olsen, forced overtime in a fast and hectic comeback.
Iowa lost, and they lost their next game too but that was a two-point defeat to the UCLA Bruins, in Iowa City.
So, suffice to say that Iowa is not a normal No. 11 seed.
On Thursday, the Hawkeyes beat the No. 24 ranked Michigan State Spartans, the No. 6 tournament seed. After losing to Sparty by two points in the regular season, the Hawkeyes went down four points after the first quarter but had a big response in the second quarter, out scoring Michigan State 20-9.
The Hawkeyes tried holding off Michigan State in the third quarter, but the Spartans are known for late comebacks themselves and took a short-lived five-point lead. Iowa scored eight to finish the third quarter and then scored 20 in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 74-61 victory.
Head coach Jan Jensen, in her first year running the Iowa program, saw her side through a rough spell earlier in the season, a spell due to forward Hannah Stuelke moving from a No. 5 position to a power forward. The Hawkeyes never truly adjusted and Jansen had the wherewithal to go back to what worked, and it’s working.
Stuelke is an offensive weapon who will hurt teams inside the post, even if she’s not scoring baskets consistently. The space she takes, and defenders she pulls in, benefits those on the outside.
Olsen is the main benefactor with a 23.1 points per game average in the last eight games and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc in that stretch with 23 made three-point shots.
In Columbus, Ohio State built a lead thanks to strong play against Stuelke. The Buckeyes held Stuelke to 10 points and five rebounds, with freshman center Elsa Lemmilä picking up three blocks against the junior forward. Olsen scored 27 and guard Sydney Affolter was relentless on the boards with 15 rebounds.
Since then, rebounding for the Buckeyes has improved through the play of forward Ajae Petty. The graduate forward has three double-doubles in a row after going 10 games where Petty didn’t even reach double-digit points or rebounds.
“My process never changed even when things were going kind of rough,” said Petty about coming out of the cold spell. “Sometimes you gotta accept the place that God places you in. You just gotta continue to keep grinding it out. So sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s the beauty of the game.”
It’s working for Ohio State now but they also need more minutes out of Jaloni Cambridge.
Against Maryland, the guard played 18 minutes due to foul trouble and fouled out in the fourth quarter. Head coach Kevin McGuff said it boils down to Cambridge being hard working player who wants to get into every play. McGuff and Cambridge talked about being careful with her hands and being selective on when to get into a play.
“We need her,” said McGuff. “We need her on the floor.”
Cambridge led Ohio State with 29 points against the Hawkeyes and should come into Friday with a little more motivation considering her being unavailable when the team needed her against the Terrapins. Both her and McMahon are a focal point for coach Jansen and the Hawkeyes.
“Man, Jaloni [Cambridge], I’ll tell you what, she’s tremendous,” said Jansen following Iowa’s Thursday night win. “Cotie McMahon, tremendous. All of them, man, they’re just really explosive, they’re powerful, they press.”
“We have to handle their press. We have to handle their speed,” said Jansen. “Jaloni got downhill on us real fast, real often there, and I don’t know if anybody’s been able to really slow her down.”
Even with applause from the opposing coach, Ohio State isn’t at a the point where they have played a full 40 minutes of their desired style of basketball. To avoid a second consecutive upset in the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes will need more against the Hawkeyes.
Projected Starters
Ohio State
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Lineup Notes
- Ohio State has 15 games this season where four players reached double-digit scoring in the same game.
- Ajae Petty has three double-doubles in a row, which is the first OHio State player to do that since forward Dorka Juhász in the 20-21 season.
- The Buckeyes have at least 10 steals in 23 games this season.
Iowa
G- Sydney Affolter
G- Kylie Feuerbach
G- Taylor McCabe
G- Lucy Olsen
F- Hannah Stuelke
Lineup Notes
- This Iowa starting lineup has a 9-3 record this season and have started together for the last 11 games in a row.
- Hannah Stuelke only played 22 minutes due to foul trouble against Michigan State on Thursday night but still had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- Lucy Olsen earned a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection by the coaches, with a First Team honor from the media. Stuelke landed on the media’s Second Team but not the coaches.
Prediction
This game is going to be close. What will get Ohio State over the Hawkeyes is the motivated play of forward Cotie McMahon and freshman Jaloni Cambridge. The two will lead the Buckeye scoring, and Ohio State will force turnovers from the Iowa side.
It will be a loud, pro-Iowa, crowd. The Hawkeye faithful are already in Indianapolis and more will descend as the tournament moves on with Iowa taking part. That will make it a tough environment to play in and give the Hawkeyes a boost.
How to Watch
Date: Friday, March. 7, 2025
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: FOX Sports App
LGHL Score Prediction: 78-77, Ohio State Buckeyes
Caitlin Clark is in the building
Just when you thought it was safe to watch Big Ten women’s basketball, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark has returned. This time the guard is a spectator, watching the side she led to the last three Big Ten Tournament championships.
Playing in the same arena for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, Clark watched both Wednesday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers and the win over Sparty on Thursday.
That means that the guard will more than likely be court side on Friday, adding a little bit of intrigue for an Ohio State side that has their fair share of history with the former Hawkeye star.
Continue reading...
Ohio State at Indiana, Saturday, March 8, 2025, 3:45 PM on CBS
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Basketball
- 135 Replies
From the Hoosier perspective:
www.insidethehall.com
Indiana concludes the regular season Saturday afternoon against Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Buckeyes are 17-13 and 9-10 in the Big Ten.
Indiana won the first meeting 77-76 in overtime on Jan. 17 in Columbus.
Saturday’s game will tip at 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS:
Two teams desperately needing a win will meet on Saturday in Bloomington. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes are squarely on the bubble with the Big Ten tournament and Selection Sunday looming.
Indiana is coming off a hard-fought 73-64 loss at Oregon, which snapped its three-game winning streak. Ohio State survived a double overtime thriller on Tuesday in Columbus against Nebraska, another bubble team.
The winner will feel good about its NCAA tournament chances, while the loser will leave with work to do in Indianapolis next week to secure a bid.
THE FIRST MATCHUP
Indiana’s narrow win against the Buckeyes in Columbus was one of its better performances of the season. The Hoosiers responded to back-to-back 25-point losses against Iowa and Illinois with better energy from the opening tip.
Indiana nearly collapsed after it built a 68-58 lead with 5:12 to play. The Hoosiers were outscored 13-3 to finish regulation and fell behind in overtime before outlasting the Buckeyes.
Senior wing Luke Goode had a career night at Value City Arena. The Illinois transfer poured in a career-high 23 points and shot 7-for-14 from the field, including a 4-for-7 mark on 3s. His fourth 3-pointer of the game, with just over a minute left in overtime, proved to be the game-winner.
With Malik Reneau sidelined with a knee injury, Indiana emphasized Oumar Ballo in the post early and often. The 7-footer scored 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a 5-for-7 mark from the foul line. Ballo also pulled down 15 rebounds and eight of them were on the offensive end. Ballo played 40 minutes and also had three assists, two blocked shots and a steal.
The Hoosiers also got a key performance from Kanaan Carlyle off the bench. Carlyle, who played well in Tuesday’s loss at Oregon, logged 36 minutes against the Buckeyes. He had 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting and didn’t commit a turnover. Carlyle scored 10 of his 13 points after halftime.
For Ohio State, all three of its backcourt players had big games. Freshman John Mobley scored a team-high 22 points and hit several big shots from the perimeter. Mobley was 5-for-11 on 3s and is shooting 40.2 percent on triples.
Indiana also had trouble defending San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish. The 6-foot-6 wing had 19 points and was disruptive defensively (three steals). Junior point guard Bruce Thornton also played well despite a rough shooting night from distance. Thornton was 6-for-9 on 2s and finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in 43 minutes.
Both teams were missing key pieces in the first meeting. Reneau was unavailable for Indiana and the Buckeyes were without forward Devin Royal, who averages 13.6 points, seven rebounds and 1.1 assists in 28.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6 Royal shoots 52.5 from the field and is a versatile scoring threat.
Ohio State is an above-average 3-point shooting team that also gets to the line and converts its opportunities. The Buckeyes shoot 35.2 percent from deep in Big Ten games and score 30.5 percent of its points from 3, which is middle of the pack in the conference and nationally.
The Buckeyes have the fifth-best free throw rate (FTA/FGA) in the league and are shooting 78.4 percent from the stripe, which ranks third in the conference. Thornton shoots 84.1 percent, Mobley 88 percent, Royal 78.2 percent and Parrish 79.1 percent from the stripe.
Defensively, the Buckeyes have two key issues. Ohio State is 14th in the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage and last in opponent free throw rate. Indiana had 14 offensive rebounds and went 17-for-23 from the line in Columbus.
Indiana should have one of its liveliest crowds of the season. It’s senior day in Bloomington and the Hoosiers can take another step towards an NCAA tournament berth with a win. While not an elimination game for either team with the Big Ten tournament looming, the winner will have far less pressure going to Indianapolis and will also avoid a Wednesday game.
The Hoosiers are playing arguably their best basketball of the season at the right time. Indiana won three straight games before Tuesday’s loss at Oregon. The final score of that contest was not indicative of how close the game was as IU led in the final two minutes before it had to foul, which allowed Oregon to stretch the lead.
The keys for Indiana are dominating the paint, converting opportunities at the line and not allowing the trio of Thornton, Mobley and Parrish to get in rhythm offensively.
What to Expect: Indiana vs. Ohio State
Indiana concludes the regular season Saturday afternoon against Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
www.insidethehall.com
What to Expect: Indiana vs. Ohio State
Indiana concludes the regular season Saturday afternoon against Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Buckeyes are 17-13 and 9-10 in the Big Ten.
Indiana won the first meeting 77-76 in overtime on Jan. 17 in Columbus.
Saturday’s game will tip at 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS:
Two teams desperately needing a win will meet on Saturday in Bloomington. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes are squarely on the bubble with the Big Ten tournament and Selection Sunday looming.
Indiana is coming off a hard-fought 73-64 loss at Oregon, which snapped its three-game winning streak. Ohio State survived a double overtime thriller on Tuesday in Columbus against Nebraska, another bubble team.
The winner will feel good about its NCAA tournament chances, while the loser will leave with work to do in Indianapolis next week to secure a bid.
THE FIRST MATCHUP
Indiana’s narrow win against the Buckeyes in Columbus was one of its better performances of the season. The Hoosiers responded to back-to-back 25-point losses against Iowa and Illinois with better energy from the opening tip.
Indiana nearly collapsed after it built a 68-58 lead with 5:12 to play. The Hoosiers were outscored 13-3 to finish regulation and fell behind in overtime before outlasting the Buckeyes.
Senior wing Luke Goode had a career night at Value City Arena. The Illinois transfer poured in a career-high 23 points and shot 7-for-14 from the field, including a 4-for-7 mark on 3s. His fourth 3-pointer of the game, with just over a minute left in overtime, proved to be the game-winner.
With Malik Reneau sidelined with a knee injury, Indiana emphasized Oumar Ballo in the post early and often. The 7-footer scored 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a 5-for-7 mark from the foul line. Ballo also pulled down 15 rebounds and eight of them were on the offensive end. Ballo played 40 minutes and also had three assists, two blocked shots and a steal.
The Hoosiers also got a key performance from Kanaan Carlyle off the bench. Carlyle, who played well in Tuesday’s loss at Oregon, logged 36 minutes against the Buckeyes. He had 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting and didn’t commit a turnover. Carlyle scored 10 of his 13 points after halftime.
For Ohio State, all three of its backcourt players had big games. Freshman John Mobley scored a team-high 22 points and hit several big shots from the perimeter. Mobley was 5-for-11 on 3s and is shooting 40.2 percent on triples.
Indiana also had trouble defending San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish. The 6-foot-6 wing had 19 points and was disruptive defensively (three steals). Junior point guard Bruce Thornton also played well despite a rough shooting night from distance. Thornton was 6-for-9 on 2s and finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in 43 minutes.
Both teams were missing key pieces in the first meeting. Reneau was unavailable for Indiana and the Buckeyes were without forward Devin Royal, who averages 13.6 points, seven rebounds and 1.1 assists in 28.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6 Royal shoots 52.5 from the field and is a versatile scoring threat.
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(All stats are for conference games only and conference rankings in parenthesis are updated through Wednesday’s games.)
Ohio State is an above-average 3-point shooting team that also gets to the line and converts its opportunities. The Buckeyes shoot 35.2 percent from deep in Big Ten games and score 30.5 percent of its points from 3, which is middle of the pack in the conference and nationally.
The Buckeyes have the fifth-best free throw rate (FTA/FGA) in the league and are shooting 78.4 percent from the stripe, which ranks third in the conference. Thornton shoots 84.1 percent, Mobley 88 percent, Royal 78.2 percent and Parrish 79.1 percent from the stripe.
Defensively, the Buckeyes have two key issues. Ohio State is 14th in the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage and last in opponent free throw rate. Indiana had 14 offensive rebounds and went 17-for-23 from the line in Columbus.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Indiana by one with a 54 percent chance of a Hoosier victory. Bart Torvik’s ratings favor Indiana by two with a 57 percent chance for the Hoosiers to prevail.Indiana should have one of its liveliest crowds of the season. It’s senior day in Bloomington and the Hoosiers can take another step towards an NCAA tournament berth with a win. While not an elimination game for either team with the Big Ten tournament looming, the winner will have far less pressure going to Indianapolis and will also avoid a Wednesday game.
The Hoosiers are playing arguably their best basketball of the season at the right time. Indiana won three straight games before Tuesday’s loss at Oregon. The final score of that contest was not indicative of how close the game was as IU led in the final two minutes before it had to foul, which allowed Oregon to stretch the lead.
The keys for Indiana are dominating the paint, converting opportunities at the line and not allowing the trio of Thornton, Mobley and Parrish to get in rhythm offensively.
