This is going to be a tough one for the Ohio State basketball team. Iowa is a team that can go inside or outside and can score in bunches. The home crowd at home will be all lathered up as well and will give the Hawkeyes an emotional boost with OSU coming to town.
Both teams are ranked in the top 25, but we don’t have to tell you how hard it is to win on the road in the Big Ten, especially against a ranked team the caliber of what the Buckeyes will see Thursday night.
But as daunting as it may seem to win in Iowa City, it’s not impossible. Penn State was able to get the job done, and so was Depaul and San Diego State earlier in the year.
Here’s five things Ohio State must do in order to spoil the night of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Next … Slow and steady
Don’t push the pace. Run the offense, get good looks.
Iowa would love nothing more than to have this game turn into an up and down affair. The DNA of the Hawkeyes this year is to get out and run and attempt to get some easy baskets in transition. Not only do they speed things up when they have the ball, but it makes the opposition think it has to press the issue as well or be left in the dust.
But that’s not how you beat Iowa. Ohio State has to be intentional and efficient on offense. You always take advantage of easy buckets in transition if the opportunity arises, but if not, the Buckeyes have to run solid sets, go deep into the shot clock and get good looks. Then, get back, get back, get back on defense and defend like crazy.
Next … Limit the turnovers
Take extreme care of the basketball
This is not an environment where you try to make the phenomenal play. Attempting to make the special play can result in the low percentage one in this hostile setting. In this one, the simple pass and the easy one is most likely the best because of Iowa’s ability to feed off the crowd and score off of turnovers.
It’s not fun to watch, but not only do the ball-handlers have to bring the ball up with security, there has to be extra care taken when passing to open guys. If it’s not there for sure, don’t attempt it. Don’t bottle up things, but be simple, purposeful, and intentional in taking care of the basketball.
The last thing you want to do on the road is pour gasoline on the fire by giving the Hawkeyes run-outs and easy baskets.
Next … Rebound
Locate guys, box out and rebound like crazy
Iowa’s length not only presents challenges with matchups, it can also result in some pretty lopsided rebounding advantages. But despite all the abilities of Luka Garza and others with length on the front line, the disparity hasn’t been as great as you’d think. Still, there have been games where the black and gold have had a significant edge on the glass. Ohio State can ill-afford to give the Hawkeyes second chances.
When the shot goes up, each and every Buckeye has to locate a man, box them out, and go get the basketball. We say it all the time, but extra possessions lead to more shots, and those lead to more points. For a team like Iowa that scores a lot, limiting those chances can go a long way towards victory.
Next … Rally on the blocks
Make life difficult on Luka Garza
Iowa has a player of the year candidate in big-man Luka Garza. Typically when he plays well and scores, the team does well. He’s a tough matchup because of his strength and length, but you have to make him work for his shots around the rim. He’s shooting a very efficient 55 percent from the field. On top of that, he can step out and nail the deep ball at a clip of 38.8 percent.
The latter is where I’d take my chances. It’s easier said than done, but if Kaleb Wesson, Kyle Young and company can push Garza out of the paint, you live with what happens. Let Garza shoot the three-ball as opposed to doing damage in and around the paint. It’ll keep guys out of foul trouble, and him out of the mix for offensive rebounds. He’ll probably still get his, but the defense has to rally, collapse and make him put up a higher volume of shots.
Next … Play through adversity
Just keep playing
You can bet things are going to get hairy at some point on the road against a quality opponent like Iowa. The Hawkeyes will likely go on some significant runs. Ohio State might even get down by double digits — maybe more than once.
But the Buckeyes have to keep playing.
The game of basketball has always been a game of runs. The teams that expect it and are able to keep working, fighting, and playing together without panicking are the ones that spring upsets on the road.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been a strong suit of Ohio State this year. On the road, when it has hit some adversity in conference play, it has started to look frazzled and began pressing. Individuals try to do too much rather than staying with the team concept, and things get out of hand with quick shots and forced play.
That can’t be the case here. Upsets are made by staying in contact of the opposition, then finding a way to gut things out at the end.
