Ohio State Buckeyes and Iowa Hawkeyes square off in Big Ten Tournament

The Ohio State Buckeyes square off against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament

March 12, 2026Updated: March 12, 2026
AP nullBy The Associated Press

Iowa Hawkeyes (21-11, 11-10 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten)

Chicago; Thursday, 12 p.m. EDT

Buckeyes -1.5; over/under is 139.5

BOTTOM LINE: Ohio State plays in the Big Ten Tournament against Iowa.

The Buckeyes are 12-8 against Big Ten opponents and 8-3 in non-conference play. Ohio State averages 80.5 points and has outscored opponents by 7.5 points per game.

The Hawkeyes are 11-10 in Big Ten play. Iowa averages 75.4 points and has outscored opponents by 9.6 points per game.

Ohio State makes 49.5% of its shots from the field this season, which is 3.7 percentage points higher than Iowa has allowed to its opponents (45.8%). Iowa has shot at a 49.1% clip from the field this season, 5.3 percentage points above the 43.8% shooting opponents of Ohio State have averaged.

The teams meet for the second time this season. Iowa won 74-57 in the last matchup on Feb. 26. Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 22 points, and Devin Royal led Ohio State with 16 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bruce Thornton is averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Buckeyes. Royal is averaging 12.4 points over the last 10 games.

Stirtz is scoring 20.1 points per game with 2.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Hawkeyes. Tavion Banks is averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Buckeyes: 6-4, averaging 76.8 points, 26.6 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 4.4 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.9 points per game.

Hawkeyes: 4-6, averaging 69.2 points, 26.7 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 6.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.8 points.

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