Iowa Needs Defense to Return to Form Against Ohio State

The Iowa Hawkeyes defense had been great all year long up until their last four games.

Feb 17, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Cale Jacobsen (31) controls the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tate Sage (24) defends and forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) looks on during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Having dropped three of their last four, the Iowa Hawkeyes know their defense will decide the game against Ohio State.

OSU is an all-around solid team that wins games because they put points on the board. Coming into this one, they're averaging 80.4 pints per game which is just over four points more than Iowa's average.

That said, defense is a big key. The Hawkeyes are only allowing 65.1 points per game while the Buckeyes allow an average of 73.1 points per game.

Sure, OSU is scoring a few more buckets per game, but their defense is nowhere near the level of Iowa's. Looking at the numbers is one thing, but those don't tell the entire story as Ben McCollum's squad has been struggling quite a bit.

Iowa's Defense Has Allowed 77+ Points in Three of Their Last Four

Feb 17, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast (51) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) defends during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

While there's really nothing wrong with allowing 78 points to No. 13 Purdue, it was a bit alarming to see them allow 77 at Maryland a few days prior. That game started this team's downfall, something that must be corrected with only four regular season games remaining.

Iowa is coming off a dreadful defensive performance in Madison, one that saw them allow 84 points to a Wisconsin Badgers team that is no longer ranked.

Somehow, sandwiched in the middle of all of that is their 52 point defensive masterclass against No. 9 Nebraska. One can't even use the argument it's because they played at home because just three days earlier they welcomed Purdue in a game that was nowhere near as fun to watch.

Smaller Sample Size Puts Things Into Perspective

Feb 17, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (rear) and guard Tavion Banks (6) defend during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Focusing on these team's last 10 games, Iowa is scoring an average of 71.4 points per game while viging up 69.2. As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are scoring 75.4 points per game while allowing 74.9.

All things considered, those numbers basically cancel themselves out. Iowa is scoring four fewer points though they're allowing five fewer which gives them a one point advantage.

ESPN Analytics isn't focused on just one point though. Even after losing their loss to Wisconsin, and knowing the fact OSU beat the Badgers just last week, they give Iowa a 64.1% chance to win. Iowa comes into this game as a 6.5 point favorite which goes to show how confident they are that this team will rebound. At the end of the day, this is Iowa's second to last chance to play at home and that's something McCollum doesn't want to go to waste.

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