Ohio State basketball needs a win vs. Iowa

The Ohio State basketball team takes on Iowa today at 4 pm. They desperately need a win after losing their last two games.

The Ohio State basketball team takes on Iowa today at 4 pm on CBS in Columbus. This is the second meeting between these two teams. Ohio State was able to win the first meeting because they controlled Luka Garza in the paint and didn’t let him beat them.

Ohio State will have to do more of the same if they want to win today. Kyle Young should be available after missing the last game with a concussion. Young being out was a big loss and his absence ended up contributing to the Buckeyes losing to Michigan State on Thursday.

Young’s defense on Garza will once again be the key to this game. He was able to hold Garza to just 16 points in that first meeting. Not only that, but he matched his 16 points with 16 points of his own. It was the best game that Young has played all season long.

The Buckeyes are going to need a similar effort from Young if they want to win this one. E.J. Liddell will have to be better than he was against Michigan State as well. He was only 4-13 in the loss and forced up some bad shots at the end of the game.

Ohio State needs to win this game to keep their hope of getting a one seed in the NCAA Tournament alive. Getting a second win against Iowa would certainly help their case, even after losing two games in the past week.

Game prediction: Ohio State 81 Iowa 78

I can’t see the Buckeyes losing three straight games. Iowa is a very good basketball team and Garza will probably win National Player of the Year, but he won’t be able to carry the Hawkeyes to a victory in this one. I think Ohio State keeps him in check and gets back in the win column.

If this is the Ohio State basketball team that we think it is, this is the type of game they need to win.