The Iowa Hawkeyes Men's basketball team entered the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament after a huge road win against Nebraska on the final day of the regular season. The Hawkeyes carried that momentum into Round One, and upset the 10-seed Ohio State Buckeyes.
GAME WON #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/r1R3M9eSuW
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 13, 2025
The Hawkeyes took care of business in the First Round and defeated the Buckeyes 77-70 in a tightly contested game. Iowa avenged their January 27 loss to Ohio State, where they were heavily outplayed.
Iowa learned from their previous mistakes against Ohio State and played a complete game on both ends.
This is the first time a 15-seed has won a game in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
Game recap
The first half was excruciating for fans to watch. Iowa and Ohio State started the game ice-cold, shooting a combined 1-11 from the field in the first six minutes. Early fouls and turnovers by both teams killed all momentum in the game.
Brock Harding was the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes in the first half. He scored 10 points off the bench and led the Hawkeyes in scoring in the first half. The game was tied 37-37 heading into halftime.
The second half started with both teams trading field goals to keep the game close. Payton Sandfort began to heat up after scoring seven of Iowa's first nine points to start the half. Iowa would push their lead to eight points at the 13-minute mark, but that is as high as the lead would get.
A big moment in this game came with under a minute left after a Hawkeyes' timeout. The Hawkeyes were nursing a four-point lead and had the ball on offense after the timeout. Brock Harding turned the ball over, and Bruce Thorton laid it in to cut the deficit to two points.
During Iowa's next possession, Harding came off a pin-down screen and nailed a huge three-pointer to give Iowa a five-point cushion in the waning moments. Payton Sandfort would sink two late free throws to seal the 77-70 victory.
This game featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes as the two teams were evenly matched.
Key takeaways
The Iowa Hawkeyes finally put together two complete halves in their Round One win against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Iowa overcame a sloppy first-half performance and held firm in the second half to move onto the next round.
In my pregame keys to the game, I noted the Hawkeyes needed to take and make high-percentage shots. Iowa finished the first half shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. They shot better from the floor in the second half, shooting 57.8 percent and shot 40 percent from three.
Iowa started slow on offense, but their offense got hot and carried them to the victory.
Another pleasant surprise was Iowa's stout defensive performance. The Hawkeyes rank last in the Big Ten in opponents points per game this season, but you would never know that if you watched this game.
The Hawkeyes held the Buckeyes to under 40 percent shooting from the floor (39.3 percent) and three-point range (35.7 percent) in the first half. Iowa had a better second half defensively, not allowing a single three-point field goal.
In total, Iowa held Ohio State to 42.4 percent shooting from the floor and 22.7 percent from behind the arc in a surprising defensive display. The Hawkeyes also had five steals and six blocks in the game.
Iowa also saw a big performance from the "big three." Payton Sandfort led the team in scoring with 17, Josh Dix added 16 points, and Pryce Sandfort added 10 off of the bench. The trio scored 43 of 77 points in a balanced attack.
The "big three's" offensive outburst completed another one of my pregame keys to the game. I stated the trio cannot afford to go cold in this game. They scored 56 percent of Iowa's points and did just the opposite.
The final key to victory for the Hawkeyes was the outstanding play by the bench. The Iowa bench outscored Ohio State's bench 27-3 in one of the more lopsided performances you will see. Iowa will be tough to beat if their bench continues to contribute at a high level.
What is next for the Hawkeyes
The 15-seed Hawkeyes will take on the 7-seed Illinois Fighting Illini at around 5:30 p.m. Central Time. You can view the game on the Big Ten Network.