Ohio State has another opportunity to secure its first Quad 1 victory of the season in a road matchup against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

Bruce Thornton on Sunday afternoon moved to second all-time on the Ohio State leading scorers list, passing Herb Williams and now 60 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in Ohio State Basketball history. Thornton’s 32 points on Sunday were not enough for the Buckeyes to come out of East Lansing with a win against Michigan State. 

Ohio State has another opportunity to secure its first Quad 1 victory of the season in a road matchup against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Iowa is coming off a home rivalry win over Nebraska, but lost on the road to Wisconsin on Sunday. The Hawkeyes are led by first-year head coach Ben McCollum, who came over from Drake after their Cinderella run to the tournament last season, after McCollum brought over the majority of his team from Division 2 Northwest Missouri State.

Ohio State and Iowa are tied in the series at 5 games apiece in their last 10 matchups. The last time both teams squared off was in the Big Ten Tournament last season, when the 15th-seed Hawkeyes knocked the Buckeyes out of NCAA Tournament consideration with a 77-70 upset.  

The Buckeyes have not left Iowa City victorious since 2021, when there were no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teams are currently tied at 9-7 in Big Ten play going into this matchup. Iowa is 3-7 in Quad 1 games, with its only non-Quad 1 loss coming at Maryland.   

Ohio State expects Devin Royal back at one hundred percent after missing the Michigan State game on Sunday due to an illness. John Mobley Jr could also return on Wednesday, as Head Coach Jake Diebler declared him day-to-day with his finger injury that he suffered against USC. The Buckeyes have not been able to be 100 percent healthy this season, as Brandon Noel has been out with a foot injury for most of the year.

Earlier this afternoon, Jake Diebler said that both A’mare Bynum and Devin Royal are “doing better” and were able to “do some things” at practice yesterday.

He also specified that John Mobley Jr.’s injury is a finger injury, and it’s a “day to day” thing for him now.

— Connor Lemons (@lemons_connor) February 24, 2026

They will need Mobley, Royal, and Bynum to be healthy because Iowa has one of the best players in the country in Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz has been one of the most dynamic scorers in the conference and will be a major test for the Buckeye guards. 

This will be a major test for Ohio State as they hope to get their first Quad 1 win of the season. Elsewhere, the Buckeyes can receive a resume boost, hoping Wisconsin and Northwestern each pick up crucial wins to move them up the Quad 1 line on Selection Sunday and give Ohio State an advantage over other bubble teams. 

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