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No. 1 seed in jeopardy? Iowa handles Ohio State in Columbus as Buckeyes continue slide
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Sunday’s action in Columbus featured two teams trending in different directions as the regular season continues to come to a close.
The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes squared off in a battle of top 10 teams, and star center Luka Garza took control of the game for Iowa. He reached double digits in the first half and capped off the game with yet another double-double.
Garza led all scorers with a game-high 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and an assist. Joe Wieskamp also helped lead the charge with 19 points while shooting 5-for-9 from three-point range. They powered Iowa to the 73-57 win.
Coming out of halftime, Ohio State made a move to trim the lead with a 14-2 run. Iowa quickly answered and took control with about 10 minutes left in the game with the Buckeyes unable to match Garza inside.
E.J. Liddell led three Buckeye scorers in double figures with 15 points. As a team, Ohio State shot just 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three-point range.
Outside of a blowout loss to Michigan, Iowa has been hitting its stride since a loss to Indiana. The Hawkeyes have now won five of their last six and have a chance to enter the B1G Tournament with seven wins in eight games to end the season.
For Ohio State, a team that has been a popular pick to land a No. 1 seed, the Buckeyes are scuffling with three straight losses and a tough matchup against Illinois to finish the regular season. Should the Buckeyes lose four straight to end the season, it would likely take a strong showing in the B1G Tournament to regain control of a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.