You’re Nuts: Is this it for Ohio State men’s hoops?

Welcome back to “You’re Nuts,” where our basketball writers pick a debate topic and argue their side until the death, or until Ohio State is mathematically eliminated from the NCAA Tournament…which may have just happened.

In a prime spot to win a road game, a Quad-1 game, and potentially solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament field, the Buckeyes went to Iowa Wednesday night and played their worst game of the season, seemingly unaware of the monumental stakes of the game. They jumped ahead 14-2, then allowed Iowa to dominate the final 16 minutes of the first half, including a jarring 31-4 run.

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The Buckeyes lost by 17 – their second-largest defeat of the season. More on that wet fart of a game later.

Last week, Connor and Justin commemorated Thad Matta’s 500th career win by talking about their favorite Thad Matta Ohio State moments – less of a debate, and more personal story time. Connor picked Thad Matta’s banner night in 2018, when Ohio State lifted his name into the rafters at the Schottenstein Center 16 months after he and Ohio State parted ways. Justin went with Ohio State’s 2007 second-round NCAA Tournament game against Xavier, AKA the Ron Lewis game.

Back to the (far less joyful) topic at hand – Wednesday night, and what lies ahead. Jake Diebler’s team is running out of opportunities to add quality wins to its resume, and Wednesday night’s game against Iowa was the most manageable one left on the schedule. Instead, Iowa dominated an Ohio State team that was frustrated on defense, confused on offense, and never had a chance after those first four minutes.

Ohio State has three games left: No. 8 Purdue on Sunday at home, at last-place Penn State on March 4, and home against Indiana on March 7. If the Buckeyes want to feel good about their tournament footing before heading to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament, they need to win all three games. Certainly, after Wednesday’s loss to Iowa, Ohio State fans are wondering if this…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nuts-ohio-state-men-hoops-160100736.html

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Publish date : 2026-02-27 16:01:00

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