All Sports Schedule
Iowa Takes Out Ohio State in Opening Round of Big Ten TournamentIowa Takes Out Ohio State in Opening Round of Big Ten Tournament
Men's Basketball

Iowa Takes Out Ohio State in Opening Round of Big Ten Tournament

The 15th-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated 10th-seeded Ohio State, 77-70, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.

Opens in a new window Transcript (PDF) Box Score (PDF)
by Brandt Dickey
Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS – The 15th-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated 10th-seeded Ohio State, 77-70, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. The Hawkeyes improve 17-15 on the season.

Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, combining to miss the first nine shot attempts of the game. Sophomore Ladji Dembele got Iowa on the board at the 14-minute mark. After trailing by six, the Hawkeyes went on an 11-2 run to take the lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the half. Iowa’s defense forced the Buckeyes to miss five consecutive field goals. 

After a two-minute scoring draught and falling down by four,the Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead with a pair of 3-pointers from junior Josh Dix and graduate Drew Thelwell. An Ohio State 3-pointer right before half tied the game, 37-37, after 20 minutes.

Sophomore Brock Harding led the way offensively with 10 points on 3-of-3 from the field, including two 3-pointers. Harding also dished out three assists. Senior Payton Sandfort added eight points with six of those points coming in the final three-minutes of the half. The Hawkeyes shot 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. The rebounding battle between both teams in the first half was even.

Payton Sandfort knocked down a 3-pointer a couple minutes in the second half to give Iowa a four-point lead. Sophomore Seydou Traore’s steal would led to a breakaway dunk before Dix would convert from midrange, putting the Hawkeyes up eight, their largest lead of the game, with just under 14 minutes left.

Ohio State would respond with an 8-0 run to take the lead with nine minutes left. Sophomore Pryce Sandfort then went on a personal 4-0 run to give the Hawkeyes the lead back, 61-58, with eight minutes remaining.

With 3 ½ minutes left, Iowa used a 7-0 spurt to take a 68-61 lead. During that span, Ohio State had three turnovers and a 3:48 scoring drought.

Ohio State cut the Hawkeye lead to 72-70 with 45 seconds left, but Harding’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left proved to be the dagger as Iowa went on to the 77-70 win. 

Payton Sandfort led Iowa with 17 points while grabbing three rebounds and finishing with two assists and two steals. Dix added 16 points, four assists, two blocks, and a steal, while Harding scored 15 points on 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Pryce Sandfort rounded out the Hawkeyes in double digits with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Dembele led Iowa on the glass with a career high nine rebounds.

In the second 20 minutes, Iowa shot 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) from the field and 4-of-10 (40 percent) from deep. The Hawkeyes converted on 6-of-7 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line in the second half. Iowa’s bench outscored the Buckeyes’ reserves, 27-3. 

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
"We pointed out, like any other halftime, the good things we did, the things we need to be better at, the things we think we can change that might be effective, the things that we think they might change to go against us. That's what halftime is. It's a lot of decision-making and suggestions and affirmation of what did go well. This is an intelligent group. They're really good at absorbing that information."

"Every game is different. That's an incredibly talented team. They're really big. So going back to your question, we're going to have to really shore up that tomorrow, whether that means we have to play more bigs or just, I think, stay out of foul trouble if we can because they not only have those guys, but they've got drivers and shooters. It's really one of the more talented teams throughout the course of the year. They've been one of the most impressive teams that I've watched.I know they had a little bout with the flu bug, and they took a step back. But they just kept coming, and we'll have them ready."

GAME NOTES

  • Iowa snapped a two-game Big Ten Tournament losing streak to Ohio State, downing the 10th-seeded Buckeyes, 77-70, on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
    • It is the first victory by a No. 15 seed in Big Ten Tournament history.
  • The Hawkeyes have won their last five games in Gainbridge Fieldhouse dating back to the 2022 Big Ten Tournament.
  • Iowa had four players finish in double figures: Payton Sandfort 17, Josh Dix 16, Brock Harding 15, Pryce Sandfort 10
  • Payton Sandfort scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting with two 3-point field goals.
    • Sandfort moved into second place on Iowa’s all-time 3-point list with 263.  He also moved into 12th place in career scoring with 1,595 points.
    • He has led the team in scoring 11 times this season.
  • Josh Dix scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
    • He has been in double figures in seven straight games and in 26 games this season.
  • Pryce Sandfort finished with 10 points – his third straight game in double figures.  He made 2-of-3 field goals, including two 3-pointers.
    • Sandfort has been in double figures in 14 games this season.
    • He has eight 3-pointers over his last three games.
  • Harding scored 13 points (10 in the first half) on 5-of-6 shooting with three 3-point field goals.
    • His 3-pointer with 16 seconds left sealed the win.
  • Sophomore Ladji Dembele finished with eight points and a career-high nine rebounds.
  • The Hawkeyes shot 54.7 percent for the game, including 57.7 percent in the second half.
    • Iowa is 11-2 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
  • The Hawkeyes went 10-of-24 from the 3-point line.  The team has made 10+ in 15 games this season.  The team is 12-3 making 10+ 3s.
  • Iowa’s reserves outscored Ohio State’s bench, 27-3. 
    • The Hawkeye reserves have scored 61 points over their last two games.
  • Iowa has won back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 7 & 11.
  • The team is now 23-23 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action Thursday, facing seventh-seeded Illinois at approximately 5:30 p.m. (CT) in the second round of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Tournament.