Inside Ohio State Basketball’s Season-Worst Offensive Performance vs. Iowa

The Ohio State Buckeyes failed to get a Quad 1 Road Win on Wednesday night.

Feb 25, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) controls the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) defends during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Up as many as 12, the Ohio State Buckeyes ended up falling short in a game that flipped on them, losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night, 74-57.

Desperately needing a quality road win to add to the March Madness resume, they had a golden opportunity heading to Iowa City, Iowa. But unfortunately, it was quite the embarrassment, making the road to March Madness even harder for the Buckeyes.

Despite being without Christoph Tilly, the Buckeyes were fortunate enough to get John Mobley and Devin Royal back in the lineup who both missed a hard fought fight at Michigan State on Sunday. It would not be enough though as Iowa had four different players score in double digits.

Without Tilly in the lineup, it was a planned attack by Hawkeye big-man, Alvaro Folgueiras who finished with 20 points off the bench. In fact, it was a great overall game plan as they dominated the paint as a whole team, 44-18.

Ohio State surprisingly could not have dreamed of a better start leading 14-2, huge thanks to a perfect 4/4 start from deep. It did not take long though for things to completely change due to the offense not scoring a field goal in over eight minutes.

It ended up being a remarkable 35-9 scoring run by the Hawkeyes to end the half. Shooting just 2/13 from two-point range and Bruce Thornton being held scoreless in the first twenty minutes, it felt like there was absolutely nothing going right for the Buckeyes. Iowa found themselves up with a 14-point lead at 37-23.

Believe it or not, Ohio State actually stormed out of the half cutting their deficit down to 12. But it did not take long to lose that momentum again, as the Hawkeyes took complete control. Allowing just a 42% field goal percentage, and forcing 11 turnovers, the #1 overall scoring defense in the Big Ten absolutely showed up at home.

Iowa found themselves up as much as 23 at 68-45 with over six minutes remaining, as they made sure to crush any hopes of a Buckeye comeback. Thornton finished with a sub-par 10 points. While Royal and A'Mare Bynum failed to help with any late hopes due to foul trouble.

The Buckeyes never once saw the lead again after once being up 15-13 midway through the first half. With time running out, Iowa cruised to 74-57 home victory solidifying the eighth seed in the Big Ten standings.

Ohio State is next in action at home game against Purdue on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.