The Ohio State basketball team lost to Iowa by just two in the first meeting between these two teams in Iowa City. That was when Chris Holtmann was still leading the program. Since Holtmann was fired, this has been a different program. The Buckeyes are playing with speed and confidence.
That confidence was present when they played Iowa in the rematch on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State never trailed in the game and was able to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive by taking down Iowa 90-78. It was a high-scoring affair that the Buckeyes won because of their hot three-point shooting.
The Ohio State basketball team has a shot to make the NCAA Tournament with one more win
Scotty Middleton scored 11 first-half points and Jamison Battle scored all 23 of his points in the second half to lead the Buckeyes. Those two performances were the biggest reason why the Buckeyes were able to walk away with a win. They shot 11/20 from three, which is 55%. If you shoot like that, you’re going to be hard to beat.
Ohio State is now just one win away from making their NCAA Tournament dreams a reality. Beating Illinois would put them firmly on the bubble. In order for them to solidify a spot in March Madness, they would likely need to win on Saturday too. Still, this is a remarkable run that this team is on right now.
Beating Illinois is not going to be easy. The Buckeyes lost in their first matchup against the Illini too. But once again, that was when Holtmann was coaching the team. Jake Diebler has made this team much more confident in what they do. It would be foolish to count this team out on Friday night.
That game can be found on Big Ten Network at 6:30 pm. It should be another great one.
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