Ohio State Basketball: Defense is the key to victory vs Iowa

The Ohio State basketball team is looking to win their third straight game this Saturday when they welcome in the Iowa Hawkeyes. They are coming off one of their most impressive defensive performances of the season in their win against Minnesota. If the Buckeyes want to win on Saturday they are going to need to focus on having another great defensive performance against the Hawkeyes.

Iowa has one of the most electric offenses in the country. They lead the Big Ten in PPG at 83.8, that stat also ranks 4th in all of college basketball. They know how to put the ball in the bucket, it’s all about can the Buckeyes prevent them from doing so.

The Hawkeyes also have one of the most prolific scorers in the country in Keegan Murray. He ranks 3rd in the country in scoring at 23.3 PPG, which leads the Big Ten as well. The 6-8 forward is averaging 30 PPG over his last three games.

Murray shoots an efficient 55.9% from the field. He does most of his scoring by attacking the inside, but shooting nearly five threes a game and the 36.7% from deep tells that he isn’t afraid to stretch the floor and shoot the three-ball. Murray will be a tough matchup for this Buckeyes defense on Saturday.

The Buckeyes were able to hold Minnesota to 25 points in the 1st half and just 20 points in the 2nd half. The defense in the 2nd half against Minnesota allowed Ohio State to pull away and win by 25 points. Iowa is not Minnesota though, and if the defense isn’t there then the offense better be. If it’s not and the Buckeyes start the way they did against Minnesota they’ll be down by 30 at halftime.

Iowa currently sits 8th in the Big Ten standings at 7-7, 17-8 overall. They aren’t in the NCAA Tournament field or even on bubble watch, but that all could change with a win against the 18th ranked Buckeyes. They are coming off a loss to Michigan this past Thursday and they won’t be wanting to lose two games in a row. Iowa will show up to the Schott ready to play, so the Buckeyes better be ready for another tough Big Ten matchup.

I’m confident in Chris Holtmann and this Buckeyes team and they’ll come out playing a tough defense making it difficult for Keegan Murray and the Hawkeyes. I look to see E.J. Liddell taking the start on Murray, and as the leader, he should want that challenge. But as the game goes on, I think we’ll see a mix of Liddell, Kyle Young, and some Eugene Brown action on Murray.

This is a big game for the Ohio State basketball team, as well for Big Ten standings purposes since a Big Ten regular-season title is still in play. If they continue to play tough defense they will have a great chance at winning and keeping their regular-season title hopes alive.