The 15th-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated 10th-seeded Ohio State, 77-70, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. The Hawkeyes improve 17-15 on the season.

The Hawkeyes return to action Thursday, facing seventh-seeded Illinois at approximately 5:30 p.m. (CT) in the second round of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Tournament.

Both teams got off to a slow start offensively on Wednesday, combining to miss the first nine shot attempts of the game. Sophomore Ladji Dembele got Iowa on the board at the 14-minute mark. After trailing by six, the Hawkeyes went on an 11-2 run to take the lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the half. Iowa’s defense forced the Buckeyes to miss five consecutive field goals. 

After a two-minute scoring draught and falling down by four,the Hawkeyes went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead with a pair of 3-pointers from junior Josh Dix and graduate Drew Thelwell. An Ohio State 3-pointer right before half tied the game, 37-37, after 20 minutes.

Sophomore Brock Harding led the way offensively with 10 points on 3-of-3 from the field, including two 3-pointers. Harding also dished out three assists. Senior Payton Sandfort added eight points with six of those points coming in the final three-minutes of the half. The Hawkeyes shot 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. The rebounding battle between both teams in the first half was even.