Coming into Saturday, the Ohio State and Iowa basketball teams were two ships sailing in opposite directions. The Buckeyes had lost five in a row, all by single digits, and the Hawkeyes had been winners of four straight.
So yeah, it didn’t look good, especially with the challenges we saw with the Ohio State offense through the losing streak.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsBut that all changed on Saturday.
The Buckeyes looked like a different team. The offense was moving the ball around and sharing it with more efficient possessions, the energy level was much better on both ends of the court, and the shooting and decision-making miles from what we saw over the last few games.
It all resulted in a much-needed 93-77 win over Iowa to stop the bleeding and give fans, players, and coaches the hope and belief that things can indeed turn around.
You had a feeling if Ohio State was going to notch a win over the surging Hawkeyes, the effort would be led by freshman sensation Brice Sensabaugh and that’s exactly what happened. The 6-foot, 6-inch, 235-pound forward finished the game with a career-high 27 points on a blistering 10-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and made much better decisions with the ball.
But it wasn’t just Sensabaugh. The team shot 56.3% from the floor and knocked down 8-of-16 three-pointers. Sean McNeil (10), Justice Sueing (10), Zed Key (11), and Isaac Likekele (18), who also finished with a double-double (10 rebounds) all scored in double figures.
Scoring wasn’t the only thing that seemed to improve for OSU. The Buckeyes took better care of the ball by notching 15 assists to just 11 turnovers, outrebounded Iowa 36 to 29, and did much better at getting to the free-throw line as well (17 to 14 advantage).
💪Strong second half! #Team124 pic.twitter.com/r7bnAn4KqI
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 21, 2023
With the win, Ohio State improves to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play. There’s still a long way to go, but a step in the right direction is exactly what this team needed Saturday.
We will have to keep an eye on an apparent knee injury to Key on a dunk with less than a minute left. It didn’t look like it was too terribly serious, but it was a non-contact injury and those always come with concern.
The Buckeyes will next be in action against Illinois on the road Tuesday.
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