WHO: Ohio State Buckeyes (14-18, 6-15 Big Ten)
WHEN: approx. 1:30 PM CT (Thursday, March 9, 2023)
WHERE: United Center (Chicago, IL)
TV: BTN
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen) | XM TBD or SXM TBD
MOBILE: www.foxsports.com/mobile
ONLINE: www.foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaHoops | @IowaonBTN
LINE: Iowa -4.5
KENPOM: Iowa -2 (56% chance of winning)

Iowa
G Tony Perkins (12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 44.2 FG%, 33.9 3FG%)
G Ahron Ulis (6.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg, 40.3 FG%, 32.8 3FG%)
F Connor McCaffery (6.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg, 38.3 FG%, 33.6 3FG%)
F Kris Murray (20.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.1 bpg, 48.7 FG%, 34.3 3FG%)
F Filip Rebraca (13.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.0 bpg, 57.1 FG%, 33.3 3FG%)

Ohio State
G Bruce Thornton (10.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, 45.4 FG%, 38.4 3FG%)
G Roddy Gayle (3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg, 39.7 FG%, 31.6 3FG%)
F Justice Sueing (12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, 43.0 FG%, 23.1 3FG%)
F Brice Sensabaugh (16.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 48.1 FG%, 41.5 3FG%)
C Felix Okpara (3.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, 59.8% FG, 50.0 3FG%)

Iowa's Big Ten Tournament title defense gets underway with an opponent that the Hawkeyes didn't face in last year's Big Ten Tournament title run -- Ohio State. The Buckeyes got here by defeating Wisconsin 65-57 on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament.

Ohio State toppled Wisconsin by jumping out to an early lead -- the Buckeyes led 18-10 at the midpoint of the first half -- and then pouring it on. After leading 34-18 late in the first half, the Buckeyes used a 13-2 run before and after halftime to open up a 27-point lead (47-20) early in the second half. And then Ohio State... stopped scoring, more or less.

The Buckeyes scored only 10 points over the next 10 minutes, and eventually the Badgers put together an 18-2 run in the final 10 minutes to cut Ohio State's lead to a precarious 57-52. The Buckeyes hung on to win, despite going the final 4:29 with zero field goals, three turnovers, and shooting just 8/14 at the free throw line.

Wednesday's win continued a mini-uptick in late season form for Ohio State -- the Buckeyes have now won three of their last four games. That follows a nine-game losing streak and a run of 14 losses in 15 games that crushed their season.

Two Buckeyes in particular have stood out during the last four games: Bruce Thornton, a 6'2" freshman guard, and Justice Sueing, a 6'6" senior wing. Thornton has hit for 20 points in two of Ohio State's last four games and is averaging 16.3 ppg, on 52% shooting (39% 3FG), with 3.0 rpg and 2.0 apg. Sueing has been averaging 14.0 ppg on 46% shooting (37.5% 3FG), while grabbing 7.8 rpg and handing out 2.3 apg. They've been a very productive pair for Ohio State over the past few weeks.

Ohio State has made a few lineup changes since they last played Iowa. Big man Zed Key got injured in the Iowa-Ohio State game back on February 16; he hasn't played since. Felix Okpara, a raw 6'11" freshman big from Nigeria, has replaced Key in the lineup, though his minutes tend to fluctuate. Okpara has played 31 minutes in two of Ohio State's last four games -- but just 17 minutes and 8 minutes in the other two. His best performance came in OSU's win over Maryland, when he had 12 points on 5/8 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 31 minutes.

Sean McNeil, a 6'4" transfer guard from West Virginia, has moved to a bench role, but he's still a key contributor. Despite not being an official starter, McNeil has played 26 or more minutes in five of the seven games he's played since being removed from the starting lineup. McNeil has scored double figures in five of seven games since moving to the bench (he had just two double-figure scoring games in his last seven games as a regular starter) and is hitting for 11.7 ppg on 48% shooting (36% 3FG).

His spot in the starting lineup has been filled by 6'4" freshman guard Roddy Gayle, though Gayle has played in 25+ minutes in just three games since becoming a starter. Gayle has added a bit more defensive stability to Ohio State's lineups -- he leads the team in steal rate -- though he hasn't added much in terms of offensive production -- he's averaging just 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, and 1.0 apg as a starter.

This is the third meeting between Iowa and Ohio State this year, with each team winning comfortably at home. In Columbus, Ohio State took control of the game with a 15-2 run in the first half and blew the game open with a 13-2 run early in the second half. OSU scored 1.3 points per possession in that game, had 92 points on 56% shooting (50% from long range), and shredded Iowa around the rim and in the paint (50-32 edge in points in the paint).

In Iowa City, the tables were turned and Iowa had the molten-hot offense. The Hawkeyes scored almost 1.4 points per possession and had 92 points on 57% shooting (including 71% on 2-point shots). Iowa beat Ohio State on points in the paint (44-36), but the real advantages came via offensive rebounds and turnovers.

Iowa had an 11-2 advantage in offensive rebounds and turned that into a 15-4 edge in second chance points. Ohio State also had 14 turnovers (against only seven for Iowa), which the Hawkeyes turned into a 16-4 edge in points off turnovers. Iowa also used smart passing and sharp ball movement (23 assists on 37 made field goals) to slice apart the OSU defense.

Find the Shooting Touch. Dominating second chance points and points off turnovers is a good way to win a game -- but it's not foolproof, either. In Iowa's last game, against Nebraska, the Hawkeyes had a 21-10 advantage in points off turnovers and 31-11 edge in second chance points (thanks to a 21-7 edge in offensive rebounds)... and still lost.

How? Because the Hawkeyes shot just 36.5% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc -- numbers that were even worse in the second half (29.7% FG, 18.8% 3FG). The torrid shooting streak that carried Iowa through the end of the Michigan State game, the entire Indiana game, and stretches of the first half against Nebraska completely evaporated in the second half.

Iowa needs that shooting touch to reassert itself or the Hawkeyes will have a very brief stay in the Big Ten Tournament. Last year's four wins-in-four games run in the Big Ten Tournament started with an all-timer of an offensive performance from Iowa: 112 points on 61% shooting, including an incredible 19/29 display from three-point range. Finding some of that same magic would go a long way to helping Iowa get a victory.

Just Enough Defense. In Iowa's loss to Ohio State this season, the Hawkeyes couldn't stop dribble penetration and couldn't get in front of Ohio State's guards and wings -- the Buckeyes ran a layup line on the Iowa defense. In Iowa's loss to Nebraska on Sunday, the Hawkeyes gave up too many open three-pointers and good looks to a Husker team that was red-hot from behind the arc.

OSU has one of the lowest three-point attempt rates in the conference, but the Buckeyes will surely take the shots if they're as wide open as Nebraska was against Iowa on the weekend. Iowa has to do a better job of rotating and closing out on defense to contest shots against Ohio State.