Live Blog: Follow Indiana's Game Against Ohio State in Real Time

COLUMBUS, Ohio – We've made it to Value City Arena for Tuesday's 7 p.m. ET tipoff between the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Both teams have struggled lately, with Indiana losing 85-71 at home against Penn State on Saturday and Ohio State losing seven of its last eight games. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes met earlier in the season, on Jan. 6 in Bloomington, Ind., and Indiana won 71-65 behind 23 points from Malik Reneau and 18 points from Xavier Johnson.

Welcome to our live blog for Tuesday's matchup, where we'll share live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game live from press row at Value City Arena.

9:36 p.m. – Final: Indiana 76, Ohio State 73 Bruce Thornton got a good look at a game-tying three, but Indiana escapes with a win. Leal had the clutch 3 and FTs. IU trailed by as much as 18 points, but instead it moves to 14-9 overall, 6-6 in the Big Ten. At Purdue Saturday.

9:25 p.m. – Leal goes 2-for-2 at the line. IU leads 76-73 with 2.9 left.

9:23 p.m. – Ware is in pain, grabbing his left leg after landing awkwardly on a missed layup. IU got a defensive stop and will have free throws after a timeout. IU leads 74-73, 2.9 left.

9:20 p.m. – Anthony Leal – clutch. Galloway drove hard, the defense collapsed, then he kicked it to a wide-open Leal in the corner for a three. IU leads 74-73 with 22.8 left.

9:18 p.m. – Ware blocked Battle's shot, but officials say Mgbako fouled his body. Battle goes 2-for-2 at the free throw line. Ohio State leads 73-71 with 32.6 left. Indiana ball.

9:17 p.m. – After review, officials say it's Ohio State ball. Tough break for Indiana after a strong defensive possession.

9:14 p.m. – Indiana got a defensive stop, but they'll review who the ball went off of.

9:13 p.m. – Reneau shot faked and took an awkward mid-range jumper just before the buzzer. He would have been better suited to take the 3-pointer in rhythm. Ohio State ball, tied 71-71 with 1:10 left.

9:09 p.m. – Gayle called for a foul as Leal grabbed the rebound. He goes 1-for-2 at the line. IU leads 71-69.

9:08 p.m. – Kel'el Ware gives IU its first lead, 70-69, since 10-9 with 15:24 in the first half.

9:03 p.m. – Nice defensive play by Ware to swipe the ball from Gayle driving to the basket. The ball went off Gayle's leg, so it'll be Indiana ball with 3:02 left, trailing 69-68 after the timeout.

9:02 p.m. – Galloway knocks down a three just before the shot-clock buzzer. Ohio State leads 67-66.

8:58 p.m. – Galloway makes a floater now, cutting Ohio State's lead to 65-53. He then draws an offensive foul on Bruce Thornton, who ran into Galloway trying to catch the in-bounds pass. 4:55 left.

8:54 p.m. – Indiana still hanging around as Trey Galloway knocks down a three to cut Ohio State's lead to 65-58 with 6:34 left. Does Indiana have one last push?

8:50 p.m. – Ware checks back in the game with 7:42 left. It's risky because he has four fouls, but Indiana doesn't have much of a choice at this point. They need Ware in order to win this game. IU trails 63-53.

8:43 p.m. – Kel'el Ware picks up his fourth foul with 11:17 left. He's had foul trouble all night and has scored just four points on 2-for-6 shooting. Bonner knocks down a three immediately after, pushing Ohio State's lead to 60-47.

8:32 p.m. – Trey Galloway cut Ohio State's lead to single digits, but Jamison Battle knocked down a three immediately after. The Hoosiers could have built some momentum there, but instead their deficit is back to 12 points with 13:15 left.

8:23 p.m. – Mike Woodson and Malik Reneau are both furious with the officials after a travel call on Reneau. IU trails Ohio State 49-36 with 16:14 left.

8:20 p.m. – Galloway knocks down Indiana's second 3-pointer of the night to cut Ohio State's lead to 15. Cupps picks up his third foul on the next possession, but Woodson keeps him out there. Indiana doesn't have as many options in the back court with Xavier Johnson injured.

8:17 p.m. – Malik Reneau called for a technical foul less than one minute into the second half. It's possible he said something to the referee, because there was nothing obvious through his actions.

8:02 p.m. – Halftime: Ohio State 42, Indiana 29. Not much has gone well for Indiana on either end of the floor, and things really went downhill when Kel'el Ware picked up his second foul at the 9:22 mark. Indiana shot 33.3% from the field. Bruce Thornton has 15 points.

7:56 p.m. – Reneau draws Mahaffey's second foul, then goes 1-for-2 at the free throw line. He's got 10 points and nine rebounds already, and six of his nine points have come at the free throw line, though he's missed three attempts. IU trails 42-29 with 17.5 left in the half.

7:49 p.m. – Cupps picks up his second foul. Not sure what he's supposed to do in that situation, as Battle was simply backing him down in the post. That's a mismatch Indiana should try to avoid. Battle has at least five inches on Cupps. Gunn replaces him as IU trails 36-24.

7:43 p.m. – Reneau with a turnover now. He thought he had Okpara one-on-one down low, but Ohio State brought a double-team to force the turnover, his second.

7:40 p.m. – Mgbako turns it over, and Mahaffey takes it the other way for a layup. Reneau takes it right at the teeth of the Ohio State defense on the next possession, and makes the layup. But he missed the free throw. Ohio State leads 33-22 with 5:30 left.

7:38 p.m – Zed Key called for a shooting foul, but Payton Sparks also picked up a Flagrant 1 on the play. Looked like Sparks accidentally elbowed Key in the face while driving to the basket. Ohio State leads 27-16 after the free throws.

7:26 p.m. – Leal tried to thread a pass to Reneau in transition, but it ends up a turnover. That's two missed opportunities for Indiana in transition so far. Ware picks up his second foul on the next possession, giving Okpara two free throws. Ohio State leads 20-15.

7:23 p.m. – Galloway found Ware for an alley-oop, but it's called off for an offensive foul on Ware. He knocked down Gayle before jumping for the dunk. Gayle answers with a three. Ohio State leads 16-13.

7:17 p.m. – Middleton made a nifty move to the basket, but Reneau stepped up to block his shot. We haven't seen that much from Reneau this season, but he timed that one well. Walker draws a foul in transition, then goes 1-for-2 at the line. IU and OSU tied 13-13.

7:15 p.m. – Cupps had a three go in and out, but Galloway was there for the offensive rebound. He nearly made the put-back, but got fouled and hit both free throws instead. Anthony Walker and Anthony Leal first off the bench for Indiana, replacing Ware and Mgbako. Indiana going a bit smaller, trailing 13-12.

7:14 p.m. – Nice wraparound pass from Mgbako inside to Ware, but he couldn't finish the layup or put-back attempt. Ware is 1-for-5 from the field to start, including a missed three. Ohio State leads 13-10.

7:12 p.m. – Reneau hits both. He's 3-for-4 at the line to start. Reneau picks up a foul, hitting a cutting Mahaffey inside. Mahaffey finished through contact, then made the and-one free throw. Devin Royal checks in, and Ohio State leads 9-8.

7:09 p.m – IU and Ohio State tied 6-6 at the under-16, and Malik Reneau will have two free throws after the break.

7:07 p.m. – Good look from Cupps in transition, advancing a pass ahead to Mgbako for an open three on the left wing. He confidently hit it. IU and Ohio State tied 6-6 about four minutes in.

7:05 p.m. – Cupps gets a couple deflections on defense for an Indiana stop. The Hoosiers ran a set to get Mgbako a mid-range jumper, but he missed. Gayle answers with a jumper, putting Ohio State ahead 4-3.

7:04 p.m. – Thornton scores over Cupps inside, then Reneau draws a foul on Mahaffey the other way. IU leads 3-2 early.

7:02 p.m. – Kel'el Ware wins the tip, and Reneau hits him with an immediate alley-oop on the first possession. Mackenzie Mgbako picks up a foul defending Jamison Battle.

6:58 p.m. – Plenty of open seats at Value City Arena for tonight's game, especially in the upper sections where it's less than 50% full. It shouldn't be too intimidating of a road environment.

6:50 p.m. – Starters tonight for Indiana are Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware. For Ohio State, it's Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey and Felix Okpara.

6:35 p.m. – Tonight is a homecoming of sorts for Indiana freshman point guard Gabe Cupps, who was a state champion and Ohio Mr. Basketball at Centerville High School, near Dayton Ohio. Last January, I went to Centerville to watch and interview Gabe and his father/coach, Brook. To read our Next Generation profile on Cupps, CLICK HERE.

6:10 p.m. – Johnson's absence is especially notable in tonight's game because he had one of his best games of the season against Ohio State on Jan. 6, scoring 18 points. Not only may Indiana miss his offense, but his defense on Ohio State guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. was key, as they combined to shoot 7-for-34 in that game.

6:01 p.m. – As we said earlier, Xavier Johnson will not play tonight. He's still wearing some sort of brace on his arm, though its hard to totally see because it's black like his sweatshirt. This is the second consecutive game Johnson will miss after suffering an elbow injury against Iowa on Jan. 30.

4:21 p.m. – Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson (elbow) will not play tonight, according to the Big Ten's pregame availability report. As expected, freshman guard Jakai Newton remains out with a knee injury. He has not played this season.

4:00 p.m. – Officials for tonight's game are Paul Szelc, Brian Dorsey and Earl Walton. Ohio State is a 5.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 141.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook.

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