Sunny Verma, Buckeyes WireThu, March 12, 2026 at 12:57 AM UTC·1 min readOhio State will have an opportunity to avenge a regular-season loss during its opening round of the Big Ten tournament.
On Wednesday, the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Maryland Terrapins 75-64, and will be the first opponent the Ohio State Buckeyes will face in the tournament. Cooper Koch had a career-high 19 points and hit 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and Bennet Stirtz contributed 17 points, eight assists, and six rebounds to help the Hawkeyes snap a 3-game losing skid. Iowa, now 21-11, had dropped four out of its last five games before it travelled to Chicago.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOhio State enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed in a regular season where it did a good job in Columbus but struggled playing away from home. The Buckeyes come in on a three-game winning streak that includes victories over Purdue, Penn State, and Indiana.
The two teams have faced off already this season, as Iowa won the first game 74-57 in Iowa City in February. Thursday, it will be the prerogative of the Buckeyes to slow Iowa’s pace and control the glass. It will be imperative to keep Koch and Stirtz from repeating their successes from Wednesday and carry that momentum over to Thursday as well.
The winner of this battle will face No. 1 seed Michigan on Friday. Iowa had a one-possession loss to Michigan this season, while Ohio State lost twice to the Big Ten champions.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Ohio State basketball to face Iowa in Big Ten quarterfinals
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