Ranked teams meet as No. 20 Iowa hosts No. 25 Ohio State
No. 25 Ohio State (17-8, 7-7) vs. No. 20 Iowa (18-8, 9-6)
Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams meet as No. 25 Ohio State visits No. 20 Iowa in a late season showdown. Ohio State has three wins and two losses against ranked opponents this season, while Iowa has won five of its eight games against ranked teams.
SUPER SENIORS: Iowa’s Luka Garza, Joe Wieskamp and Ryan Kriener have collectively accounted for 59 percent of the team’s scoring this season, including 64 percent of all Hawkeyes points over the last five games.WATCH OUT FOR WESSON: Kaleb Wesson has connected on 42.9 percent of the 84 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 9 of 18 over the last five games. He’s also converted 72.3 percent of his foul shots this season.
STREAK STATS: Iowa has won its last 11 home games, scoring an average of 81.6 points while giving up 65.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Buckeyes have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Hawkeyes. Iowa has 43 assists on 84 field goals (51.2 percent) over its past three outings while Ohio State has assists on 34 of 62 field goals (54.8 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The sturdy Ohio State defense has held opponents to just 61.4 points per game, the 13th-lowest in Division I. Iowa has given up an average of 71.7 points through 26 games (ranked 218th, nationally).
