The Ohio State Buckeyes (21-11, 13-8) survived a late run by the Iowa Hawkeyes (21-12, 10-11) to win in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Big Ten Tournament 72-69 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In the first matchup between the two teams, Iowa went on a 31-4 run in the first half and took down the Buckeyes 74-57. Since then, Ohio State is 3-0 with wins over Purdue, Penn State, and Indiana, and has played its way into the NCAA tournament, something that looked unlikely after the blowout loss
to Iowa.
Bruce Thornton came into this contest as the Buckeyes all-time leading scorer, passing Dennis Hopson on senior day last Sunday in the 91-78 win over Indiana.
It was not the prettiest start on offense for either team, as Iowa jumped out to a 12-6 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
Ohio State cut the Iowa lead to just one with six minutes remaining in the opening half. Then, freshman Amare Bynum scored six straight for the Buckeyes to give them a 21-20 lead, and a Gabe Cupps three-pointer gave the Buckeyes a 24-22 lead.
After the two teams traded buckets for four minutes, a Thornton layup at the end of the half gave the Buckeyes a 34-30 lead.
Through the first 20 minutes, Christoph Tilly was the lone player in double figures, as he recorded 12 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 shooting from the free throw line. Bynum added eight points, and Thornton had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. It is worth mentioning that Tilly did not play in the first game between the two teams.
For Iowa, Bennett Stirtz played all 20 minutes and recorded nine points. Tavion Banks and Cooper Koch added five points each.
The big difference was the three-point shooting in the first half, with Iowa shooting 5-for-11 from behind the arc and Ohio State was 1-for-8, with Gabe Cupps recording the lone deep ball, his first since January 8th.
In the second half, it was all Bruce Thornton to start. Thornton scored ten straight points to give Ohio State a 51-35 lead, forcing an Iowa timeout. Another Thornton three-pointer and a Mobley three-pointer gave Ohio State a 57-43 lead, but the Hawkeyes went on a 10-2 run to cut the Buckeye lead to 59-53.
Both teams continued to trade baskets, and Ohio State took a 68-62 lead into the under-four media timeout.
After a Devin Royal bucket to give Ohio State a 70-62 lead, the Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run to cut the Ohio State lead to one point after two Stirtz free throws.
With six seconds left, Bruce Thornton missed a layup and Amare Bynum missed a put-back, but John Mobley Jr. chased down a loose ball rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to give Ohio State a 72-69 lead with six seconds left in the game.
With Iowa trailing by three points, Brendan Hausen missed a shot that went over the backboard for a turnover. Tilly missed a one-and-one for the Buckeyes, and Bynum fouled Alvaro Folgueiras, who missed his free throw and was tracked down by Isaia Howard, who missed a three to end the game, securing a 72-69 win for Ohio State.
Tavion Banks gets in foul trouble
Tavion Banks, the Hawkeyes second leading scorer at 10.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, started strong with an early five points for Iowa, but he got two fouls early and only played seven of the first 20 minutes.
Bynum takes it upon himself
With Ohio State trailing, Amare Bynum scored six straight points and eight out of ten for the Buckeyes to give them their first lead of the game.
The bigs hold it down early for Ohio State
In the opening half, Christoph Tilly and Amare Bynum combined for 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field while Thornton and Mobley combined for just seven points in the first 20 minutes.
Iowa slows the pace down
In the first matchup, Ohio State was really affected offensively with Iowa slowing the game down. According to our own Connor Lemons, Ohio State averages just over 56 field goal attempts per game. The first time they played Iowa, they only got up to 43 attempts, and halfway through the first half of this one, they were on pace for 35 attempts.
Thornton takes the game over
Bruce Thornton is the all-time leading scorer for Ohio State for a reason. Early in the second half, Thornton scored ten straight points to give Ohio State a 51-35 lead, forcing an Iowa timeout. Another Thornton three-pointer and a Mobley three-pointer gave Ohio State a 57-43 lead.
Iowa answers to get back in it
In the first contest, Iowa went on a huge run in the first half and never allowed Ohio State to get back into the game. Ohio State went on to a 57-43 lead, but instead of slamming the door closed, Iowa went on a 10-2 run to get back into the contest.
Iowa cuts it to one point
After a Devin Royal bucket to give Ohio State a 70-62 lead, the Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run to cut the Ohio State lead to one point after two Stirtz free throws.
John Mobley’s offensive rebound
With six seconds left, Bruce Thornton missed a layup and Amare Bynum missed a put-back, but John Mobley Jr. chased down a loose ball rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to give Ohio State a 72-69 lead with six seconds left in the game.
